


Fighting for the Sunrise

by knight_tracer, litra



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Audio Format: M4B, Audio Format: MP3, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Established Relationship, F/M, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Giant Robots, Multi, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 2-2.5 Hours, The Drift (Pacific Rim), The Force, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-06-22 13:32:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15583059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knight_tracer/pseuds/knight_tracer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/litra/pseuds/litra
Summary: Jedi Master and Pilot Obi-wan Kenobi is injured in the ongoing war against the Kaiju. He finds himself at loose ends until Commander Windu brings him a new Trainee. Three months shouldn’t be enough time to teach Anakin Skywalker how to be a Pilot, especially after his girlfriend Padme shows up and demands entry to the base. Somehow they’re going to have to figure it out, because the next fight is right around the corner.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so, so, so much to kaixo for being a wonderful Beta-reader, and to the mods for running this event.

**Podfic Length:** 2:16:34

 **Streaming:** [Part 1](http://knight-tracer.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/Fighting%20for%20the%20Sunrise%20%5b1%5d.mp3) | [Part 2](http://knight-tracer.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/Fighting%20for%20the%20Sunrise%20%5b2%5d.mp3)

**Download Links:** [mp3](http://knight-tracer.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/01%20Fighting%20for%20the%20Sunrise.mp3) | [m4b](http://knight-tracer.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/01%20Fighting%20for%20the%20Sunrise.m4b)

Obi-wan slid into the pilot's harness next to Cody and buckled himself in.

The alarms had pulled him out of his early morning meditation, sending a jolt of adrenaline through his system. The relative information already flashing across the screens before them. There were two level two Kaiju, headed for their stretch of coastline. The outer defenses had picked them up moving at a steady pace. One was aquatic, something similar to a plesiosaur, but with  far more teeth. The second had a dark bulky frame that might have looked like a rhino or an elephant on land. In the water it moved with a deceptive speed. Obi-wan thought he saw hints of spines and armored plates cutting through the surface of the water on the view screen. They’d make landfall in fifteen minutes just south of the mouth of the Willapa bay.

It wasn’t the worst spot for a Kaiju attack. It was less than five minutes from the base by Jaeger. Both sides of the bay had once been dotted with little tourist towns. Now those towns were few and far between. Those locals who chose to stay were as prepared for Kaiju attacks as they were for tidal waves or the heavy winter storms. Willapa also had a long stretch of beach where the river made a last minute turn before hitting the ocean. They could fight there without destroying anything more then some wildlife.

"They couldn't have waited until I'd had my coffee?" Cody quipped. They'd been at this long enough that Obi-wan didn't have to look to see the eye roll.

"Naturally not." Obi-wan responded just as casually.

"Negotiator, you will be taking point" Mace's voice crackled through the radio. "Domino, and Arc-Tera will be backing you up."

"Understood." Obi-wan replied as the final checks came back green.

“Neural handshake initializing.”

Obi-wan looked over at his partner, and they nodded, already in sync as they fell into the drift.

 

 

Cody that was Cody, other and not. Easy, step softly, find the pattern... There. Together. Partners. one... two... one...

The bitterness of hot coffee on his tongue, not enough sleep. Of course there'd be an attack first thing in the morning. At least he'd already been awake. That time they'd been called up at 4am had been worse. Wonder if they'll save any breakfast for when they get back.

Domino and Arc-Tera were checking in, "starting deployment sequence."

Cockpit. In the Negotiator. Stay mindful of the present.

"Ready to deploy?" That was Commander Windu.

They reached forward, flipping the switch to release the last of the docking clamps, speaking together "Deploy."

They braced and the rig moved with them propelling them towards the sea.

The Negotiator hit the beach, scattering wet sand. The juniper trees that had managed to survive repeated Kaiju attacks quaked with every step they took towards the water. Early morning on the Pacific northwest coast meant the clouds were still rolling in cold and wet, hiding the craggy shelves of rock where seagulls still stubbornly nested. Visibility was spotty, but they'd trained in worse.  

"Level two sensors."

...

The Kaiju had passed the five mile mark.  They picked up the pace, striding into the sea.

They saw the armored one first. It might have looked like an iceberg if the colors weren't all wrong.

"We have eyes on target."

...

Where's the other one?

"Negotiator, this is Domino, we have a blip to the north, circling to check it out."

Domino’s white and blue armored form faded into the mist. Arc-Tera was only slightly easier to see; the green lines it was decorated with outlining where it stood..

"Copy that Domino."

They stepped forward, digging their feet into the sea bed as the waves crashed around their hips. Their lightsaber came to their hands like it had in a thousand training exercises, and a dozen fights. There was a reason they were two of the best pilots on the rim. Cody had put in more hours in practice then any other two clones together. A blade the length of a train car, rippling with blue plasma, ignited from their hands.

"Come on then."

A roar that shook the air, and a great rams head breached the water. Step into the strike. Blade straight into the charge.

Solid hit, hard to recover from that.

Free the blade before they're pinned down. Disengage. Damn he's big.

Water, falling.

Careful of the sword.

Blast! Forgot about the waves.

Damn it, have to be mindful of my surroundings.

Present, center, one... two... one…

Apologies Cody.

Where is it?

Blue in the water. It was a solid hit. There, turning for another charge. Step in again, slashing horizontally, then spin away in a matador's dance.

"Alert, ours has done a runner." -- "It's in the water." Domino called out.

"Which way? Arc-Tera can you intercept?"

The big one was still a threat. Can't just let it crawl off and spread Blue all over the coast before it finally dies. Could they take it out and join the others? It was a pair of solid hits but even a lightsaber had only done limited damage to its iron hide. If Arc-Tera could pin it down...

The second Kaiju hit their left side with all the force of a torpedo.

Fuck. pain, damage. That's my leg oh sith hells. Where's the sword? Focus, push past the pain. Breathe. We can do this. Keep to the right.

Where is it?

There's the big one. Domino incoming. Where? There.

I've got this.

They stepped forward. Obi-wan falling back in the drift, watching distantly as he tried to keep the pain from Cody. The second Kaiju, leapt out of the water, spraying poison blue, all spines and teeth. They stepped low. Weight on the damaged leg, Kriff, breathe through it. And up, seperating a chunk of the thing's head from its neck.

It thrashed. Domino was there, pinning it down. Dragging the thrashing form away from the Negotiator.

"We've got this one. Arc?" Domino called out.

"We've got the big one. What's left of it anyway." Arc-Tera responded.

Obi-wan hissed through his teeth.

They could make it back to base. Another moment and one of the others would be there to help. They just had to confirm the kills.

"Base? Status on the enemy?"

"We have two confirmed kills. Hold for a final sweep," Mace directed.

Right, he could do that. Breathe.

One... two.. one... two..

"Breach is confirmed at zero. You're good to head home Negotiator. Arc-Tera, you're on the final sweep." came word from base a minute later.

Obi-wan let out a breath.

The trip back was not going to be pleasant.

| 

Obi-wan. Light and that sound ringing unheard in his ears. He'd never get used to this. Breath, in and out, two.. one...

Distant hunger, but it wasn't anything he couldn't ignore. His robes were too light. He'd be cold unless they worked up a sweat. Not that that was going to be a problem. There was something. he couldn't quite see it. Kaiju blue, and red in a tie-dye splatter. Unease.

Domino and Arc-Tera were checking in, "starting deployment sequence."

Check, in the Negotiator. Don't chase the rabbit.

"Ready to deploy?" That was the base commander.

They reached forward, flipping the switch to release the last of the docking clamps, speaking together "Deploy."

They braced and the rig moved with them propelling them towards the sea.

The Negotiator hit the beach, scattering wet sand. The juniper trees that had managed to survive repeated Kaiju attacks quaked with every step they took towards the water. Early morning on the  Pacific northwest coast meant the clouds were still rolling in cold and wet, hiding the craggy shelves of rock where seagulls still stubbornly nested. Visibility was spotty, but they'd trained in worse.

...

"I see them."

The Kaiju had passed the five mile mark.  They picked up the pace, striding into the sea.

They saw the armored one first. Ugly ass thing. Going to be a pain to get through that shell.

...

Bringing defenses online.

Where's the other one?

"Negotiator, this is Domino, we have a blip to the north, circling to check it out."

Domino’s white and blue armored form faded into the mist. Arc-Tera was only slightly easier to see; the green lines it was decorated with outlining where it stood..

...

They stepped forward, digging their feet into the sea bed as the waves crashed around their hips. Their lightsaber came to their hands like it had in a thousand training exercises, and a dozen fights. There was a reason they were two of the best pilots on the rim. Obi-wan was one of the top three swordsmen in this generation.   A blade the length of a train car, rippling with blue plasma, ignited from their hands.

"Let's see how fast we can finish this."

A roar that shook the air, and a great rams head breached the water. Step into the strike. Blade straight into the charge.

Take that, kriffing sea-scum.

Free the blade before they're pinned down. Disengage. Fuck he's big.

Water, falling.

Careful of the sword.

Thought it missed us. Waves, kriff.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Obi-wan!

Present, center, one... two... one…

Later.

Where is it?

Blue in the water. It was a solid hit. There, turning for another charge. Step in again, slashing horizontally, then spin away in a matador's dance.

"Alert, ours has done a runner." -- "It's in the water." Domino called out.

...

The big one was still a threat. Can't just let it crawl off and spread Blue all over the coast before it finally dies. Could they take it out and join the others? It was a pair of solid hits but even a lightsaber had only done limited damage to its iron hide. If Arc-Tera could pin it down...

The second Kaiju hit their left side with all the force of a torpedo.

Fuck. pain, damage. Left side disabled. Still got the sword, where is that bastard? Obi-wan, hold on. Breathe. We can do this. Lean on me.

Where is it?

There's the big one. Domino incoming. Where? There.

Take the strike.

They stepped forward. Cody taking the lead, blocking the pain from Obi-wan's side of the drift. Focus on the strike. The second Kaiju, leapt out of the water, spraying poison blue, all spines and teeth. They stepped low. Weight on the damaged leg, sorry Obi-wan. And up, seperating a chunk of the thing's head from its neck.

It thrashed. Domino was there, pinning it down. Dragging the thrashing form away from the Negotiator.

"We've got this one. Arc?" Domino called out.

"We've got the big one. What's left of it anyway." Arc-Tera responded.

Cody let out a breath.

They could make it back to base. Another moment and one of the others would be there to help. They just had to confirm the kills.

...

"We have two confirmed kills. Hold for a final sweep,” he ordered.

Right. Just a bit longer.

One... two... one... two...

"Breach is confirmed at zero. You're good to head home Negotiator. Arc-Tera, you're on the final sweep." came word from base a minute later.

Cody braced himself.

The trip back wasn't going to be fun.  
  
---|---


	2. Chapter 2

 

Obi-wan looked down at the brace on his leg and sighed. He could handle the pain. It was the inactivity that came with long stretches of healing that frustrated him.   Injuries from combat were always trouble. The Negotiator's left leg had been crushed. Due to the nature of the drift Obi-wan had ended up with a mass of bruising from the middle of his thigh down to his ankle. It wasn't broken, but it was just as hampering as if it had been.

He was looking at a minimum of two months before he could walk without crutches. Another month after that before he'd be cleared for combat again.

It could have been worse. Everyone had come back alive, after all. Cody was even still fit for combat. Maybe they could call Rex out of his training rotation. They'd always made a good team.

Obi-wan looked up with relief when there was a knock on the door to his quarters. Moping alone on his couch wasn't nearly as fun as it looked. He glanced around and decided the small room was clean enough for visitors. At least all the dirty cups were already in the sink and there weren’t any dirty clothing laying around.

"Come in."

Mace pushed open the door.

Mace windu was many things: tall, black, base commander, Ex-pilot, Partner to the now deceased Qui-gon. He was also a friend. There were other Jedi on base but most of them were padawans. Obi-wan and Mace windu had the solidarity of being the only Jedi around who knew the strain of combat.

His eyes took in the leg Obi-wan had propped up on pillows.

"Mace. Come to save me from my boredom? I'd offer you tea, but you'd have to make it yourself, I'm afraid."

Mace chuckled, "Well, at least you're not sulking."

"About being taken off the fighting roster? As much as I'd like to argue I don't really have a leg to stand on."

That got a full snort of laughter, "That was terrible." Mace said taking a seat at the table given that Obi-wan was taking up the whole of the bed, and there really wasn’t any other option. Even senior pilots didn’t get much more space then the rank and file.

Obi-wan shrugged. "So, did you visit purely to help assuage my boredom, or are you here for my bad jokes?"

"Actually..."

Obi-wan started to sit up, winced, and settled for raising an eyebrow.

"There's a new Padawan..." Mace trailed off.

Obi-wan shook his head. "There's little point in me taking a personal student. Even if I was benched for the full four months, I'd only be able to give them half the lessons. By the time I was be able to get to the physical side of things, I'd be cleared for combat, and have to turn them over to someone else.”

Mace held up a hand, "And we need you as a pilot, I know. I also know you'll go stir crazy and start a riot if I don't keep you occupied. Besides, this one is... different."

"How so?" Obi-wan asked.

Mace stood and turned to pace in the limited space, five steps one way then turn and back. "He's nearly eighteen for one."

Obi-wan blinked in surprise. The attacks had been ongoing for over 16 years. There was a system in place by now. All children were tested for their drift potential, and if they were above a certain threshold they were offered the option of joining the Jedi. They trained to pilot the Jegers against the Kaiju. Those who didn't have the potential to be pilots were steered into other civil service jobs, mechanics, base support, the agri-core. They and the clones were the entirety of the Pacific-Rim Defence Force.

"He slipped through the net as a kid." Mace went on. "Apparently his mother was a refugee from one of the first attacks. She took him into the middle of nowhere-Nevada. The Core only picked him up because he got arrested."

Obi-wan leaned back and stroked his beard with one hand, "This should be good."

Mace nodded, humoring him. "There was some kind of fight. He and the people he was arguing with all got picked up and someone had the bright idea to do some blood work in case they'd given each other any major injuries."

"Alright, that explains how we found him now and not before, but for once between the clones and the cadets we have plenty of potential pilots, why bring in someone with no training?" Obi-wan would have understood it even two years ago but for the moment they were doing alright.

The clone program started in the third year after the breach had opened.

They'd isolated the genetic quirk that made people drift compatible and someone had had the bright idea to create a whole generation of potential pilots. Even with accelerated growth the clones had taken nearly ten years to mature. They'd only learned about the side effects when the clones had started going into combat. The same trait that had been amplified to make them drift compatible, sapped their will and endurance. A pair of Jedi could outlast a pair of clones every time, but every clone was compatible with nearly all their brothers, while Jedi had to find a suitable match. They balanced each other, strengthening the defence as a whole.

Before the clones had been deployed the Jedi had been stretched thin. Every injury or drift-break might have been the tipping point. Now they had room to rotate people out for rest. They'd been able to implement the safety regulations that took people out of the field if they suffered from a traumatic drift experience. They were starting to win again.

"His potential is over 27,000," Mace said. He stopped pacing and looked at Obi-wan with a straight face.

Obi-wan blinked in shock. His own potential was one of the strongest at 13,400. Mace was only 12,000. 27,000 was unheard of. "That's not-."

"Possible? It was confirmed when we brought him in. He was given a stay of punishment if he worked with us for the next three months. We've got that long to figure out if we can make something of him."

Obi-wan sighed and rubbed at his eyes, "And I got myself benched just in time."

Mace shrugged, "pure coincidence I'm sure."

Glancing over his hand, Obi-wan asked, "Three months?"

"Three months. He gets a crash course, and at the end of it I get my pilot back, one way or the other."

"There's still the matter of his physical training," Obi-wan pointed out.

"I'll find him a combat partner."

Obi-wan hesitated.

“It’s him, or you can deal with the Senator for Experimental Sciences.” Mace’s tone was flat but Obi-wan didn’t need the extra help to see the threat for what it was.

“You wouldn’t throw me to Palpatine. You want me back in one piece.”

“Maybe,” Mace conceded, “So, will you do it?”

Obi-wan nodded slowly. "I'll meet him, but if we're not compatible, you'll have to find someone else."

Mace nodded, wearing a grin that made Obi-wan start to regret his words. "Good, you'll meet him tomorrow." He started for the door, but paused with one foot in the hallway, "Oh and Obi-wan? I'm glad you're alright. Don't ever pull a stunt like that again."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes at the closed door. Compared to some of his stunts this injury was nothing and they both knew it.

 

<><><>

 

The next morning Obi-wan looked at the young man in front of him and realized just how much work he had in front of him.

Obi-wan had booked one of the private meditation chambers, not to practice drifting- not yet- but because it afforded them privacy. The rooms had soundproofing and all the equipment for a shallow drift, along with chairs that were far more comfortable then the standard Jaeger harness.

It had taken half an hour to hobble down to the designated room and he'd had to adjust the chair to suit his leg. In contrast Anakin was slouched in his chair facing Obi-wan. He was a lanky teenager with short-cropped hair that had been bleached blond by the sun, and a deep tan from working outdoors. He was wearing a worn out t-shirt with a logo Obi-wan didn’t recognise and the hems of his pants were both too short and worn down to being threadbare. Obi-wan knew they must have provided him with a Padawan's uniform, and wondered why the boy hadn’t worn it. He'd been there for less then ten minutes and Anakin had changed position three times. Fidgeting seemed to be his natural state.

Obi-wan discarded his first few opening gambits and finally asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

Anakin looked at him skeptically. "Can I get out of this if I say no?"

"Afraid not," Obi-wan answered with a smile. "I would be more inclined to end early though. I've found that people of your age don't focus very well on an empty stomach."

"I've had breakfast." Anakin admitted, slumping back in his chair and picking at a stray thread on the armrest.

"So there's some other reason you're uncomfortable?"

"Are you teaching me or interrogating me?" He sounded sullen, and there were confrontational lines on his forehead.

Obi-wan sighed and reminded himself that he couldn't take any more painkillers for at least another hour and a half.

"Let's start again. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jedi Pilot. It's a pleasure to meet you." He looked at Anakin pointedly.

"You're Obi-wan Kenobi?" Anakin's expression had changed to one of shock and awe.

"The last time I checked."

"I thought-- I mean, you don't look like--"

Obi-wan shrugged. "The media like to use the older pictures of me. I didn't have the beard then. Willing to talk to me now that you know who I am?"

Anakin hesitated, "I don't, I mean..." he glanced down at Obi-wan's leg in its brace. "Yeah, I guess."

"Wonderful, do you know why you're here?" Obi-wan settled back in his chair. At least the leg got him sympathy points from someone. Most of the base staff just mocked him about how the great Kenobi hadn't managed to dodge an attack for once. It was all good natured. Seeing one of the best get hurt could be worrisome for even the most stalwart.

"They said I’m, ‘drift compatible’, but I thought you had to be trained up as a kid to be a Jedi?"

Obi-wan nodded, "That is the way things normally go, but remember the breach has only been around for about as long as you. I was thirteen  when I started training, and that was barely two years in." Suddenly he felt old. The weight of all his years fighting settling onto his shoulders like a blanket.  There was a whole generation who'd never known the world before the threat of the Kaiju. Anakin was barely a decade younger than him, but it was the only world he could remember. It was a terrible shame, but that was how the world was.

Anakin shifted again, biting his lip, "Okay, I mean, I'm not sure how good I'll be. I can't move things with my mind, or see the future, or anything."

"No one can, not without the drift, and even then those are rather rare talents."

That made Anakin sit up, leaning forward, "So it's real? Jedi can really do things like that?"

Obi-wan considered the young man in front of him. Instead of answering he leaned over and picked up one of the drift helmets. "How much do you know about the start of this conflict?"

Anakin slumped back, pouting, "As much as anyone I guess. It started about 16 years ago. The Kaiju come through the breach every month or so. The Jedi are trained to fight them. The clones help. Stay away from the blue."

Obi-wan nodded, "I suppose they have been limiting the drift technology since the accident. Alright, the basics: In the first two years after the breach opened, there was a wellspring of new technology created. They tried everything they could think of on the off chance that something would help. One of those new technologies was the drift. Humanity has been fascinated with psychic powers and visions for centuries. By joining two minds the people involved create a link that is more than the sum of its parts. Drift technology taps into that link using it to direct the Jaegers, like electrical synapses control the human body. That said, it is dangerous, and some people are more suited to it than others."

"Like the clones, that's why they exist." Anakin glanced at the door, and shifted again.

"In part," Obi-wan agreed. "The clone program was originated to create more people who were drift compatible, but we still didn't properly understand the gene when the first clones were started. The genetic potential is only part of the equation, otherwise we wouldn't need to train Jedi as well. A properly trained Jedi can form the drift-link, and still shield their mind, or they can choose to lower their shields and use that excess power for other purposes. I will warn you now that that's how a lot of Padawans end up with mental scarring, so don't try it with an inexperienced partner."

Obi-wan finished his lecture and leaned over picking up his cup of lukewarm tea from the side table. Anakin was watching him with an expression that mixed awe and fascination.

"And you're seriously going to teach me?"

"Apparently we have three months to determine if you have the talent for it." He fixed Anakin with a serious look. "I expect you to put your all into this. If you don't want to be a Jedi, you should say so now."

"No, I want to-- be a Jedi, I mean." He sat up straighter, almost coming to attention, "What do I have to do?"


	3. Chapter 3

 

Anakin was talented and unorthodox. He picked up new techniques almost immediately, but couldn't sit still for long enough to use half of them. He quickly befriended half the clones on base, while simultaneously driving the other half mad.

He’d made friends with the mechanics, only to end up with a cut on his arm. He’d then ran away from medical sending Kix into a fit. Half of the kitchen staff seemed to think he was too skinny and needed to be fed. The clones who looked after the Padawans couldn’t keep track of him and eventually threw up their hands in frustration, declaring him Obi-wan’s problem.

Fives and Echo of team Domino were more than willing to follow him into trouble, and Rex wasn't much of a mitigating force. Obi-wan contented himself with the knowledge that at least Cody was still on his side. Hard not to be when they had drifted so many times.

Within a week they fell into a pattern of lessons. Anakin had a lot to catch up on, and while they could skip the diplomatic and press training for now, the mechanical knowledge, safety procedures and drift protocol were essential.

In the morning they met in what had quickly become their usual meditation room. Anakin had quickly picked up on how to tune the drift-console. The drift helmets got caught in Anakin’s lanky hair at first until he figured out the trick to it. He refused to cut his hair into the traditional Padawan style. Obi-wan slid the matching helmet onto his own head with long practice.

Over that first week Obi-wan tried to guide Anakin through a basic meditation, the first step in a stable drift. On the first day he brought in the metronome that he had learned with. Anakin had spent the first five minutes fiddling with the helmet and then nearly fallen asleep. The next day Obi-wan had tried breathing exercises. Anakin said that they made his nose itch. He'd told Anakin to think of a clear blue sky, or a deep still lake. Each time Anakin's mind drifted back to some machine he’d been building or he grew bored before Obi-wan was able to establish a drift.

They normally gave up after about two hours, both of them frustrated, and pain shooting up Obi-wan's leg. In the afternoon they met up again for more practical lessons, if Obi-wan didn't have a doctor's appointment. Obi-wan assessed Anakin's skills in everything else that he would need to know. Anakin already had a solid basic understanding of mechanics. Apparently he'd been a combination auto-mechanic and town handyman back in the small town where he grew up. Anakin took in logistics and battle tactics like a sponge.

Then they came to the physical aspect of the training...

Anakin was already fit, but he had no formal combat training. Not that fighting Kaiju was quite like fighting another person, but you had to understand your limits... Obi-wan tried sending Anakin to train with a group of the Padawans, while he observed from the sidelines. Except he was so much taller than everyone else in his skill level. It made all of Anakin's moves seem awkward and hesitant.

Obi-wan was about to pull him out of the class and try to figure out something else when he heard it.

"That all you got skyguy?"

Anakin snorted. "I'm twice your size. You think a snippy little thing like you can handle me?"

Obi-wan looked up. It took him a moment to place the teenage african-american Padawan. She had also rejected the traditional Padawan hairstyle, instead binding her hair into three tight french braids. The strands had been alternately bleached and dyed blue. Ahsoka Tano, he remembered her now. She was on track to be a pilot in another two years or so.  She was actually helping to teach the class, rather than being a part of it. Her scores in combat training were some of the best, but if he was remembering correctly she had trouble focusing in the drift, much like Anakin.

Ahsoka just grinned, "If you're so sure you can take me, prove it!"

Anakin stepped, back crossing his arms. "I'm not going to beat up a kid."

"Anakin," Obi-wan waved from the sidelines, "Go ahead. It should be a fine learning experience." He met the eyes of the instructing clone who nodded and clapped his hands for the other students to step away.

Faced with a potential grudge match, the rest of the Padawans cleared the mats, sitting on the sidelines to watch. Ahsoka settled into a ready stance, her arms loose at her sides. Anakin frowned, but after a moment brought up his fists in something close to a boxer's stance. Obi-wan leaned forward, eager to see what his new student could really do.

The instructor glanced at Obi-Wan who nodded approval. They waited a moment then called out, "begin."

Ahsoka took a half step forward, feinting. Anakin shifted from one foot to the other, before exploding into movement. Ahsoka moved in first. She feigned again before  lashing out, her kick was textbook perfect. Anakin only managed to dodge thanks to his ridiculously long limbs. He staggered back, then caught his balance. Ahsoka's second kick came on the heels of the first. Anakin twisted and grabbed. He missed her leg and turned the move into a punch.

Ahsoka moved with the blow, and fell back to one knee. She spun into a leg sweep. Obi-Wan gasped when Anakin leapt into the air. Anakin was doing better then he’d expected.

Spinning, Anakin twisted his hips lashing out with a kick of his own. It was off-center and Ahsoka was too low, but he landed solidly on his feet. Ahsoka came up inside his guard and they exchanged a series of rapid-fire back-and-forth punches.

Obi-Wan found that he was leaning forward, as eager as any of the Padawans looking on. Anakin and Ahsoka had very different styles but they were actually fairly well matched. Obi-Wan could see the start of drift compatibility between them, if they both ever grew up enough to acknowledge it.

He had thought that Anakin hadn't had any training, but Obi-Wan was starting to rethink that. There was intent behind his attacks, and more knowledge than instinct and luck could account for. Still, Ahsoka had been training regularly for years.

She caught Anakin's wrist twisting back and around. Anakin cried out in pain. He threw his weight into her. His elbow slammed into her cheekbone. Anakin's expression said the hit hadn't come without cost. Ahsoka disengaged, putting some space between them. Anakin shook out his hand before curling it back into a fist.

Anakin _moved,_ stepping in with the boxing moves that Obi-Wan had initially expected. He used elbows and knees and grabbed at Ahsoka as often as he punched. It wasn't dirty fighting, not really, but it was right on the edge of it. Now  Ahsoka stuck on the defensive. Although she dodged and blocked well enough, she couldn't get inside his guard for a counterattack.

Anakin grinned, sensing victory. He stepped in, reaching too far. Asoka took the opening. Using her shoulder she twisted his arm into a bar and threw him. Anakin slammed into the mat with a slap that made the Padawans gasp. Anakin grunted, snarled and rolled back to the balls of his feet. Ahsoka was already back in the ready stance, grinning fiercely.

Obi-Wan saw Anakin's anger spark, and instinctively moved to stand. Pain shot down his leg, pinning him into place. Gasping through it, he managed to call out an end to the match. Ahsoka dropped her fists but kept her eyes on her opponent. Anakin took longer to get let go of his anger. He looked at Obi-Wan taking a breath, probably to protest then his eyes fell to his leg and he hesitated.

Obi-wan inhaled slowly, "what Anakin has just so kindly demonstrated is a move called a break fall. Well done both of you." He waved to the instructor, nodding at both Anakin and Ahsoka to join him at the side of the mat. Neither of them seemed overly happy about it. "How do you think you did?"

They looked at each other, each dairing the other to speak first.

"How did the fight feel?"

Anakin didn't get it but Ahsoka scowled. "We are not drift compatible. Our styles are totally different."

"I'm not piloting with her." Anakin declared.

"Well you seem to be in sync right now." He held up a hand before they could protest again, "you can learn from each other. If you are drift compatible it will become apparent, but neither of you are ready for piloting, so it's not an immediate concern." Anakin crossed his arms, clearly unhappy. Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Obi-Wan made a mental note to make sure they trained with each other again, and often.

It was two and a half weeks into Anakin's training when Obi-wan learned the key to understanding his new student.

Obi-wan caught wind of it purely by accident. He'd managed to hobble up to the mess hall for breakfast (he wasn’t used to the crutches yet) and sank into a chair next to Cody with an audible sigh of relief. His leg was not doing well today. Waving off an offer of assistance, Obi-wan breathed through the pain, the conversation slowly starting up again around him.

"No I'm telling you, she practically forced her way through the gates."

"But why?" another clone, Echo maybe, asked. "Was she a reporter or something. I mean it's not like civilians go out of their way to talk to us."

"I don't know Vod, You could probably go ask her. She sat outside the gates all yesterday and she was back first thing in the morning. I'd be more concerned, but well, at least it's a nice view."

The brothers devolved into good natured laughter, but the incident had awakened Obi-wan's curiosity. "Did she give a name? Maybe who she was looking for?"

The clone, not one Obi-wan recognised offhand, shrugged, "Padme. Said she was looking for someone named Ani."

Obi-wan nodded. His instincts telling him it was important. On a normal day he'd have walked up there himself, but with his leg... He would send Anakin, but with the threat of meditation hanging over his return, Obi-wan didn't think he'd be all that prompt.

Together then, he thought. He could put aside his pride and use the wheelchair for once.

Anakin still hadn't figured out the whole layout of the base so Obi-wan directed them through the halls, until they reached the front gates. ‘Front gates’  was a bit of a misnomer. Most people arrived by helicopter or fleet transport. or for the pilots the hangers. The gates were there for civilians or refugees. there had been a lot of those in the early years, but after so many years, those who could leave had, and those who hadn't knew the drill.

Today there were two trucks with local produce being checked over and a woman, standing stubbornly on the shoulder of the road. She was average height and lean, but looked young to his eyes. She had long brown hair that had been pulled back into a sensible bun. At a guess she’d be about Anakin's age or maybe a few years older. Her name suggested Indian or Pakistani descent,  but apart from a faint duskiness to her skin, and the shape of her eyes, she might have been from anywhere. A lot of the younger generation was like that. So many people had been uprooted in those first few years after the rift opened.

When Anakin saw her he abandoned pushing the wheelchair and ran forward. "Padme! What are you doing here?"

She looked up, and her face broke into a relieved smile, "Ani!" she fell into his arms and wrapped hers around him in turn. "I've been trying to find you. Those men came and took you away without a word. You know I promised your mom I'd look after you."

Anakin rolled his eyes and he sounded longsuffering, "I was nine."

"That doesn't mean you don't still need looking after."

He laughed and even from a distance Obi-wan could hear the love in his voice, "What would I ever do without you?"

Obi-wan gave them another moment then called out, "Will you introduce me to your friend?"

They turned. Anakin waved at the clone on duty to let Padme through. The clone glanced at Obi-wan, who made the executive decision that she wasn't a threat.

"Obi-wan Kenobi," he said offering his hand, "I'd stand, but I'm afraid that's not really an option for me at this point."

"Padme Amidala," she said, and shook his hand. Her voice was lyrical but with an edge of steel under it, and her grip was firm. She looked him in the eyes, despite the obvious recognition of his name. Obi-wan had a feeling that if he tried to stand in her way of staying with Anakin his status as a pilot wouldn’t matter.

"Obi-wan's been training me to be a Jedi." Anakin interjected with a proud smile.

"Perhaps you'd like to show her the facility?" Obi-wan offered. "If she's going to be staying she'll need to know her way around."

"She can stay?" Anakin asked at the same time Padme said, "Just like that?"

He nodded, "there'll be some paperwork, but if you really are here to look after him, it will certainly make my life easier." He turned the chair and gestured for them to proceed him through the doorway.

With permission granted, Anakin took Padme's hand and led her forward. His scattered focus, all the fidgeting that Obi-wan had seen since Anakin's arrival, fell away. The tension in his back and shoulders disappeared as if it had never existed.  Obi-wan found himself letting out his own breath of relief. Anakin’s smile - a real smile for once - was bright and open and beautiful.

If this was the real Anakin then maybe they could make something together after all.


	4. Chapter 4

"Close your eyes and breathe," Obi-Wan directed. He and Anakin were in their usual meditation room. Anakin settled back in the chair and breathed. Obi-Wan made some final adjustments to the drift settings, and did the same.

“Neural handshake initializing.”

In the background the metronome clicked out a slow rhythm One… Two… One… Two… This was where their sessions had normally failed.

Instead of telling Anakin to focus on nothing or clear his mind, Obi-Wan said "I want you to think about Padme. You and she are safe and together, that feeling, can you focus on it?"

Anakin hummed.

Obi-Wan breathed, One… Two… One… Obi-Wan reached out, touching the edge of Anakin's mind.

"Tell me about her."

Instead of rejecting him Anakin's natural defenses opened as he began to speak.

 

He met Padme when he was nine.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Five girls, little gods, then she probably had to look out for them all. … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … She talked to you.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …  … … … … … …

He sat forward, a serene smile on his face.

They stayed for three days.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 

Silverton, that's where he grew up.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …… … … … … … … … … … … 

We were going to save the world. We all thought we were saving the world. That day when Cody and Rex and the rest of the 212 arrived I could breathe again. Me and Quinlan and the rest, we were so tired. There was no end to it. Just fight after fight and two seconds to breathe in between if we were lucky.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Then there they were.

They climbed out of the transports, armor shining in the sunset.

It was like I could breathe again.

He opened his eyes.

They were wet with unshed tears and there was something tight in his chest.

He understood.

He knew what it felt like to, all this love and hope. Too much for just one person.

He reached for Obi-Wan's hand.

They both leaned forward to meeting in the middle, foreheads together as they breathed the same air.

One... Two... Hope... Love…

| 

I met Padme when I was nine.

She was the most beautiful person that he’d ever seen. She had four other sisters and cousins, she was the oldest. They were all traveling with her uncle Panaca in an old RV. They broke down outside of town and there was no one there to help them except me.

Even then I was good with machines and cars are easy once you understand them. She talked to me.

She didn't think I was just some silly kid even though she was already 14.

Anakin sat forward, a serene smile on his face.

They stayed for three days.

Instead of staying inside with the others she hung out with me in the garage and asked me questions. We talked about all sorts of things. About the world and where they were going and what it was like living in Silverton.

...

When she left I gave her a charm I carved. I thought that would be it. I would never see her again but a few years ago she came back. She remembered me. She wanted my help. We were going to save the world.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 

Day after day, just sky and sand and nothing to look forward to after the blue finally took mom.

Then there she was.

She held out a hand the sun rising behind her.  … … … … … …

It was like I could breathe again.

He open his eyes.

They were wet with unshed tears and there was something tight in his chest.

He understood.

He knew what it felt like to, all this hope and love. Too much to hold inside.

He reached for Anakin's hand.

They each leaned forward, meeting in the middle foreheads together as they breathed the same air.

One... Two... Hope... Love...  
  
---|---  
  
 

 

Several hours later Obi-Wan still felt the effects of the drift. 

All through lunch Obi-Wan had found his eyes drifting to Anakin where he sat at the next table with Padme. As often as not Anakin was looking back. 

Now sitting on the side of a small training cell as Anakin and Ahsoka warmed up. Obi-Wan thought his Padawan was more relaxed and aware then he had ever seen him. He was smiling as Anakin and Ahsoka quipped back and forth.

It was good, it was almost frighteningly good. Drifting with other Jedi felt different than drifting with the clones, and these days that was all most Jedi did. That morning was the first time Obi-Wan had drifted with another Jedi in years, since Quinlan and Ayla had… But this was more than that. He could feel where Anakin was in the room. When Obi-Wan looked at him, he could read Anakin's expression as easily as if he'd known him for years. Anakin liked Ahsoka despite all his grumbling. They challenged each other in a way few others dared. Obi-Wan felt the first stirrings of jealousy at the thought of the two Padawans being drift compatible and took a breath to release the emotion. The worst part was that he couldn't be sure if he and Anakin were actually such a good match or if it was just Anakin's incredibly high drift score. Something low in his chest squeezed around his heart; worry and desire, hope and love.

"Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan looked up, and felt a rush of affection when he caught Padme’s eyes. She’d only been on base for a handful of days but she’d adapted quickly. Her hair was up in a high ponytail today and she’d found or borrowed a set of Jedi robes, presumably since it was one of the few outfits on hand that would fit a woman’s body. Obi-wan had confirmed that she wasn’t drift compatible, but in that moment he wouldn’t have stopped her if she tried to pull rank. Her upright posture and determined gaze could have been found on any visiting Jedi. A reinforcement for his injury perhaps...

“Are you alright?"

"Fine, just my leg," he lied, "and please call me Obi-Wan."

She smiled, "well if you insist." She sat beside him. "I wanted to thank you."

Obi-Wan bent in a half bow, "of course. I know we Jedi often seem aloof, standing apart from the rest of the world, but that is not our intention."

She nodded, “Oh I'm sure, and I do want to thank you for getting me a pass to the base, but I actually meant with Anakin."

Obi-Wan looked at her amused smile and felt his cheeks grow warm. Thank goodness for his beard. He could see how Anakin had fallen for this woman so easily. She was kind and observant and generous… Was that the drift echo or his own feelings?

"When I ran into Anakin for the second time... I don't know what he's told you." Padma went on, oblivious to his inner turmoil. 

"Only that the two of you were going to save the world," Obi-Wan admitted.

She smiled, "yes he would put it like that. I wanted to set up a network for refugees and the families of refugees to reclaim land and resources that have been redesignated as safe zones. A lot of families like mine don't have representation and because of the lack of resources we don't tend to get the education of even other minority groups, so that's not likely to change."

"You've clearly thought a lot about this." At least Obi-Wan could be sure his appreciation for her intelligence was his own. Anakin was far from unintelligent but he understood motors better than people, and people better than societies. 

Out on the mat Ahsoka was showing Anakin a palm-strike combo. She held one of his arms in a bar and stuck her hand in his face. Anakin scrunched up his nose at her in retaliation.

Padme shrugged. "I was the one who had to make sure my sister and cousins kept up their studies, so I can ramble about the topic for a while, but I won't bore you. I believe we were talking about Anakin."

"Not at all. There are so many people even now who see the Kaiju as a great and terrible ongoing crisis and forget while we fight, there are families who struggle to put food on the table. We need to prepare for a better future if we are ever going to have one."  Even Obi-wan forgot it too often.

Padme sat up in her chair, nodding along. "Exactly, but Heaven forbid anyone suggest pulling military funding." 

"As someone who benefits from that military funding, it is indeed a complex issue." Obi-Wan stroked his beard. He was just settling in for a good discussion, the kind he hadn't had in far too long when the lights flashed red and a klaxon started blaring in the hallway. Feet hit the floor as clones ran to battle stations. Obi-Wan was suddenly the focus of everyone's attention. Ahsoka's gaze grew hard. She knew what was happening. Padme and Anakin didn't, their faces showing a mix of fear and calculation. 

Obi-Wan made an executive decision. "Ahsoka, to your station, and may your drift stay strong." She nodded and ran for the door with a purpose. "Anakin, Padme, it seems we are due for a Kaiju attack. Since I know neither of you will be comfortable remaining in your rooms you are welcome to accompany me to the Pilot's  central control room."

Anakin shoulders went back, a fire burning in his eyes. 

Padme nodded, "thank you. Lead the way."


	5. Chapter 5

The Pacific Northwest base covered the stretch of coast from northern California to the Canadian border.  It had been built into the mouth of the Columbia river. An entire man made island sat in the middle of the river, flanked by half a dozen troop transports and almost a hundred smaller ships that served various purposes. The bridge that had originally spanned the river before the first Kaiju attacks, had been destroyed in the first year of the breach. Since then, no less than four bridges had been built to replace it, connecting the base to both shores, and the cities that still persisted there.

The pilot's command center was on the westernmost edge of the island, second only to the primary command center. It was perched just above the hangers, so that any pilot who was needed would be immediately available. By the time Obi-wan arrived, with Anakin and Padme in his wake, the room was full of clones and other military personnel all anxiously waiting reports from the outer sensors. 

The big window that sat center stage was actually a series of screens that could project any information or decisions made in the true command center above. Four clone technicians sat in front of the screens, waiting for incoming sensor data. Fives and Echo stood off to the right, just in front of the elevator that would take them down to Domino. 

The other Jaeger that could be accessed from there, Libra, had been experimental and didn't have a pilot team at the moment. Mirroring them, Cody stood with Rex by the other elevator. The two of them would have piloted the Negotiator if it came down to a fight, except as far as he knew it was still under repair. Obi-wan let go of the rush of jealousy over both Cody and the Jaeger. Waxer and Boil would have to take up the slack if the enemy headed their way. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case. He didn't like the idea of fighting at half strength.

It was odd not to be standing among them, even with the constant reminder of his leg. He was the only active Jedi on base at the moment, and for the past few months he'd been leading these men. He was the one to go out first every time, but not anymore.

Padme got a few interested looks given her Jedi robes, but the brothers turned back to their jobs when she hovered beside Obi-wan rather then joining the pilots.

Obi-wan took a seat in the rear of the room, propping his crutches up beside him and letting out a slow breath. The seats were intended for visiting politicians or occasionally the media, so they had a decent view while still being out of the way. Padme settled beside him. Anakin stayed standing, clearly tense, but at least he wasn't pacing.

"In a moment they'll have a map up on the main monitor there." Obi-wan started to explain, "The initial breach activation is monitored by satellite and goes out to all bases on the rim of fire. There are alerts like this one happening all around the Pacific right now. Once the Kaiju are through and we've confirmed the breach is closed, the early warning sensors at the Hawaii base will start plotting size, direction and speed. After that most bases will stand down."

"The ones that aren't needed." Padme said, nodding.

"What if the Kaiju changes direction?" Anakin asked, not with the fear that Obi-wan had heard from others, but with a level of calculation.

"All bases will stay at ready status until there are confirmed kills, just in case, but it allows the men who were off duty to relax." As he spoke the main screen flickered to life, showing the innermost ring of sensors. There seemed to be two Kaiju again this time, which complicated matters slightly. All the pilots and clones held their breath, waiting to see if they would stick together or split off from each other. 

Each scenario presented its own problems. 

The screen blinked once, then again, showing the start of a trajectory.

"Two confirmed hostiles, Combatant one: designated Watchweer, headed mark one-two-seven. Combatant two: designated Helio headed mark one-one-nine. Standing down. Repeat: base is standing down." A brother's voice rang over the loudspeakers and the room collectively relaxed.

"What does that mean?" Padme asked even as she sat back in her chair.

"Well, you know that the breach is south of Hawaii, around the equator. We use a system of degrees to indicate which way the Kaiju are headed. In this case, they're headed towards the four-o-clock position. If they keep a steady course, they'll make landfall in northern Chile." Obi-wan started to explain.

"Which means you won't get to test the new software upgrades, a pity." Came a voice from down the row of chairs.

Their group turned as one. Senator Palpatine nodded back to them. He was an older man, but still clearly active. He sat with his back straight and his chin up, hands casually curled around the arms of his chair. He was wearing a casual black suit with a red tie, which put him a step above everyone else in the room in that department. Obi-wan knew he was drift compatible but he'd been over the age limit when piloting was first being established. Personally, he'd always made Obi-wan feel uncomfortable. 

Palpatine came to stand over them.

"Senator Palpatine. May I introduce my new protegee, Anakin Skywalker and his companion, Padme Amidala. Padme is working on a few safe zone projects, in tandem with the refugee efforts." He didn't want to throw Padme to the wolves but she was clearly already adept at the nuances of political conversation. As much as Obi-wan liked a good debate, this sphere was not his preferred arena.

Padme stood and took the hand the senator offered without pause. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator."

"The pleasure’s all mine, I assure you Jedi Amidala. You must tell me about these projects of yours." Palpatine’s voice was slow and deliberate as if he was giving them time to hang on his every word. He offered up the smile that had gotten him elected and Obi-wan carefully did not roll his eyes.

Obi-wan caught the moment when Padme considered correcting Palpatine’s assumption, then decided to accept the upgraded rank.

"Of course, I'd be happy to set up a meeting and discuss it in depth, but I'm afraid I was in the middle of something when the alert sounded. I would hate to interrupt Obi-wan's schedule." She brought her hand to her mouth, hesitating as if she'd only just thought of it.

Obi-wan's respect for her was growing by leaps and bounds. Anyone who fared so well on such short notice was wasted as… Whatever she had been before.

Palpatine brought his brows together in a small pout. "Well. I suppose I can't take you away from your duties, but you will have to tell me how you managed to arrange to have one of the finest knights on this coast as your guide." He smiled as if there was some secret between them, and only then let go of her hand to reach for Obi-wan. "My friend, it has been too long. How is the targeting system on the Negotiator faring?"

Obi-wan put on his own smile. "Well, it's more the leg that has me worried. With luck she'll be combat ready before I will. Three months seem like such a long time to sit around and do, nothing."

"Not that you mind the quiet?" Palpatine replied with a half smile.

Obi-wan gritted his teeth behind a smile of his own, "Even so," He dropped Palpatine's hand in order to reach for his crutches. "I'm afraid as boring as my recovery has been it still manages to be exhausting. If you'll excuse me. Anakin, if you wouldn't mind getting the door?"

He breathed a sigh of relief when they were safely in the corridor. "I do apologise," he said turning to Padme. "He probably can help your projects quite a bit. He knows nearly everyone involved in the Defence Force and has personally introduced more than a few weapons that have performed well. I just have no patience for the kind of boot licking required in those circles."

Padme nodded, "That's fine. It's not like I had anything prepared. At least now he thinks I'm someone important."

"You are someone important! They just don't know it yet." Anakin reached out, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"Thank you Ani. So..." She looked around, "What now?"

"Tea?" Obi-wan offered. "I wasn't entirely lying about my injury." They nodded and together headed down the hallway to Obi-wan's rooms.


	6. Chapter 6

Obi-wan tried not to wince as Kix, the base's head medic, tested his leg. The little medical station had ten beds, set up in a long line with the traditional curtains to separate them. None of the other beds were occupied at the moment. Ten beds were overkill most of the time, but no one wanted to get caught off guard, and if the base ever came under direct attack ten wouldn't be nearly enough. For the moment though, the room was quiet. There were a couple of side rooms with special equipment and Kix had an office somewhere. There were other medical officers, but most of them pulled double duty as nutritionists or trainers, leaving the medical ward as Kix's personal domain.

The swelling in Obi-wan's leg had mostly gone down, but the skin was still sickly yellow and tender. Obi-wan stretched and wiggled his toes and rotated his ankle as Kix commanded. After half an hour of poking and prodding Kix narrowed his eyes and turned to make some notes on a tablet.

"I don't suppose..."

"No, don't even think it--" Kix jabbed his stylus at Obi-wan. "Leg injuries are a pain to treat already. Everyone tries to push it, walking around too soon. Three months."

Obi-wan held up his hands, "Alright. I'm not trying to push but perhaps..."

Kix crossed his arms and lifted his chin to glare down his nose.

Obi-wan slowly lowered his hands and tried to explain, "I have a new student..."

"I know, The whole base knows. Skywalker is making a name for himself."

"Then you realize how much of a handful--"

"Nope. You're keeping the brace and crutches for another three weeks minimum."

"Alright, as my doctor orders," Obi-wan gave in. He let Kix wrap his knee and ankle back into the brace despite the fact that he was well practiced at it after a month of healing.

Kix checked the last few boxes off his list. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Obi-wan shook his head, "Nothing but my desperate need for lunch after your delightful physical therapy."

"Yeah, yeah," Kix passed him back the crutches and gave a supportive nod as Obi-wan levered himself up and lumbered into the hall.

In truth, the lunch rotation was only just starting. Those brothers who were on the early shift sitting down for a proper meal, and the rest of the people on base who didn't have a fixed schedule wandering through as they wished. Obi-wan thanked the lunch attendant when they offered to help with his tray and looked around for a table. He was surprised to see Padme in a heated discussion with a number of brothers at the table the pilots usually used. When he approached they glanced up and made a space for him without stopping the discussion.

"-- it's about representation, not slavery. You can be given a choice and still not have any real say." Padme continued.

"But we're military, that's the whole point right?" Waxer looked from her around the table at his brothers, then back to her. "There's a proper chain of command. If we have a problem with our orders we can request a different assignment or lodge a protest but someone has to be making the choices at the top."

"And is that person someone you chose?" Padme pressed.

"Mace looks out for us. He was a pilot. He knows what it's like. A lot of the Jedi do. They wouldn't survive if they didn't" Echo contributed.

Padme nodded grudgingly, "I'll give you that. Commander Windu has certainly been willing to listen to my requests, and the reports I've read have all been favorable, but what about other base commanders? I've heard they call commander Yoda over in China a troll."

Obi-wan couldn't help a bark of laughter at that, nearly spilling his tea in the process.

Padme glared, "What?"

Obi-wan set down his drink and held up his hands. "I'm sorry I'm sure this is a very serious conversation, and it certainly sounds like an interesting one, but if you'd met Yoda you would understand why he's not the best example."

Beside him Cody chuckled. He pointed a fork full of pasta at Padme, "You know those little old Asian kung-fu masters in the movies that speak in riddles all the time? That's Master Yoda. Part of it is because he looks like he's a hundred and three. But he also loves trolling the shinies, so the name stuck."

Padme picked at her salad, "Okay so maybe he wasn't a great example but there have to be others."

Obi-wan stroked his beard, "Bad base commanders? The Jedi do their best to monitor everyone and listen to the reports from the brothers, but everyone has different styles, shall we say?"

"And what about when you're out of the service? Ten years as a length of contract is already longer than reasonable--"

Obi-wan smiled into his sandwich. He let them go back and forth only half-listening as he ate. While Padme was clearly passionate about the subject no one seemed to be put off or insulted.

"Has Anakin eaten?" Obi-wan asked when he'd finished.

Padme broke off mid-sentence and frowned. "No, I don't think so. He said he was going to talk to Jesse-" she glanced at some of the others to confirm the name, "- about some mechanical questions. Knowing him he's completely lost track of time."

Obi-wan nodded, "right, I'll bring him something." He levered himself up, waving off the offers of help. He stuck a sandwich and a bottle of water in his pockets and made his way down to the workshops.

Technically there were four workshops, one for each Jaeger, but the space required for the Jaegers was so big that it became something more like different taped off sections of the enormous hangar sized area. There were welding stations and electrical stations, and other things that Obi-wan couldn't identify, all of them designed to be mobile, not just horizontally from Jaeger to Jaeger, but vertically up and down the catwalks. Obi-wan knew there was a whole other area for the support vehicles as well, but he rarely had a reason to venture that far.

Obi-wan paused to look up at the Negotiator. The Jaeger was as tall as a ten story building. Catwalks every ten feet and magnetic docking clamps held the arms slightly away from the torso. It had the standard plate armor of most of the 5th generation Jaegers. The base white had plenty of scratches and dents by now, with 212th orange striping down the arms and across the shoulders in a complicated pattern that the mechanics used to indicate the circuitry below. Threading through the orange were stripes of a darker brown marking weapons intended for Jedi use only. Blue marked where the Negotiator had been damaged and the repairs were different from standard. Obi-wan was biased of course but he thought she was beautiful. Going out into combat he was proud to wear those marks like his own skin.  

Domino stood beside Negotiator, similar marks etched over her surface. She was the same model but slightly less worn down. Her marks were in the blue of the 501st. She'd never been piloted by a Jedi and showed none of the Jedi brown. Instead she had Rishi red to indicate changes to the standard design.

On the other side of the hanger Arc-Tera stood, her primary green occasionally interrupted by 501st blue.

Libra was the exception to the rule. Instead of white her base armor had been left a mat steel gray. She’d never been into combat but her creators had given her stark white and black lines to indicate her weapons and defence systems.

Brothers swarmed over all of them calling up images of the lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels; ants on a giant. Their voices and the sounds of their equipment overlapped each other until they filled even a room as large as the one they were in, turning into a low rumble that mixed with the smells of oil and sealant.

"Coming along nicely aren't they?"

Obi-wan came out of his musings, nodding to Palatine. The man had to stand closer than Obi-wan liked in order to be heard without shouting.  "Senator, I didn't expect to run into you down here--" where his hands might actually get dirty...

Palpatine smiled and lifted a hand. When he realised the crutches were in the way of his usual hand-clasp he turned it into a wave towards the Jaegers instead. "Well the repairs are coming along so well. Arc-Tera has already been fully outfitted. The damage to Negotiator has slowed down the upgrades of course, but that’s to be expected. Really with such a wonderful canvas, I had to come and admire the artistry of it."

Obi-wan hesitated, "That's an interesting way to put it." He'd thought something similar only moments ago but he had a feeling Palpatine meant something else.

He nodded, "I know it must seem strange, but a weapon can be beautiful, and there is a satisfaction to seeing something put to its proper use. Why just the other week one of my technicians - Ventris, very clever girl - sent me the schematics for a gun that could make steel l as brittle as glass. Not very helpful for the Kaiju of course but I'm sure I'll find a use for it."

"Ah- yes..." Obi-wan took a step back. A weapon like that would make a Jaeger next to useless. It would collapse under the weight of its own parts. Palpatine had to realize the implications. They didn’t need a weapon like that. They were doing fine as it was.

“I’m terribly sorry but I promised to bring Anakin lunch before resting this afternoon. Doctor’s orders you know how it is.” He waved at his leg.

Palpatine frowned but nodded. “Well doctor’s orders. We do want you back in the field as soon as possible. Can’t have someone else piloting the Negotiator.”

Obi-wan smiled and refrained from mentioning that Cody was a fine Pilot. So many people outside the military had a strange stigma against clones. Obi-wan had never understood it.

“Perhaps you’ll be available to see one of our demonstrations?” Palpatine asked.

“We’ll see.” He nodded as politely as he could and made his escape.

Anakin was half-way up a catwalk messing with some wires on the Negotiator’s arm when Obi-wan finally found him ten minutes later. He was high enough that Obi-wan could only identify him by the flash of his yellow hair. He hollered for Anakin’s attention, and finally had to send up one of the brothers after him. Obi-wan wasn’t going to risk his leg after Kix’s lecture. Anakin nodded when he got the message, unclipped his harness from the scaffolding and swung out over open air on nothing but a single rope. Obi-wan had no fear of heights but he could understand why some of the clones thought Anakin was crazy. There was a perfectly good staircase around the side- even if it would have taken longer to get down.

“Hey, sorry, I was in the middle of a thing,“ Anakin said when he finally touched down.

Obi-wan waved him off. “I’m surprised they let you touch her. I know Jesse and the others can be rather territorial.” He nodded toward a series of couches pushed against the wall. They formed an out of the way break area for the mechanics who didn’t want to head all the way up to the rec areas. There was some rudimentary sound dampening so they could talk without their voices getting lost.

Anakin flopped down, nodding to the only brother there at the moment. “Yeah well, this is one area I’m not a novice.”

Obi-wan eased down as well stretching out his leg. “Even so it’s quite a feat.”

Anakin blushed slightly, his eyes lighting up. “I just showed them a trick to help modulate the current. Learned it working on those newer cars, so it should work here too.” He took the sandwich he was offered and bit into it, looking up at the Jaegers.

Obi-wan considered his Padawan. Anakin’s eyes were distant, and he was eating mechanically his mind clearly elsewhere.

“What are you thinking about.”

“Dams.” Anakin said slowly, “Hydroelectric plants have to channel the water into the turbines, but they also have to filter out any debris, so it doesn’t get caught. The Jaegers are designed to work under water so they have to have some kind of sealant and filters for the pilot’s oxygen. But that kind of pressure is…” He shook his head and blinked back to the present. “Sorry, it’s just such an interesting project. Do you know when the 6th gen Jaegers are going to go into production?”

Obi-wan considered it, “I don’t actually. The 5th generation, like Negotiator and Domino have been serving us well, so there hasn’t been any rush. The Libra was one of the potential prototypes but she’s still built off the 5th gen frame.”

Anakin flopped back and rolled his eyes, “No rush? Last I checked we’re still at war. We still get attacked by Giant monsters from the other end of the galaxy every month or so. I bet there hasn’t been much on that front either. They confirmed that it’s a naturally occurring phenomenon connecting two points with high pressure and hydro elasticity, but since it’s one way and we can’t control it or stop it, just put it on a shelf with all the rest.”

“Well, as interesting as the discovery is, necessity comes first. Survival before experimentation.”

Anakin lifted an eyebrow, “Really? What about necessity being the mother of invention? When the rift first opened we had the first Jaegers up and running in what? Two years? Less? A completely new technology, bigger and faster and more versatile than anything humanity has ever built.”

He looked up at the Jaegers again. “If they don’t want me as a pilot at the end of these three months I’m going to stick around as a mechanic. The brothers are great but you could use some new ideas around here.”

Obi-wan stroked his beard. “You’re not wrong, though I personally hope you’ll make it as a pilot. Maybe you could come to one of those demonstrations that Palpatine keeps inviting me to. I’m sure it would be far less boring with a friend along.”

Anakin put on a mock scandalous face. “And be forced into some monkey suit, sticking my pinky out and forgetting which fork to use with those fancy people that hang on his coattails? No thanks.”

Obi-wan chuckled under his breath, “Yes well, don’t let any of them hear you say that. They happen to be giving us quite a bit of money.”

Anakin waved that off, unconcerned. “I should get back to it.” he said after a bit.

“Alright, but set a timer or something. You have practice with Asoka this afternoon. And then I want to see how your lessons are progressing.”

Anakin stood, rolling his eyes good naturedly, “Yeah yeah, I’ll make sure I’m home for dinner, dear.”

The brother who had been sitting with them, politely ignoring their conversation, snorted a laugh. Obi-wan gave the brother a flat look. By the time he turned back to retort, Anakin was off across the workshop floor.

He shook his head, secretly pleased.


	7. Chapter 7

 

The first time Obi-wan stepped onto the training mat with Anakin didn't feel like the first time.

Obi-wan slowly stretched out his leg, rotating his ankle. There was a slight twinge but Kix had done his work well, and it wasn’t anything that would bother him.

Anakin had been doing well in his training with Ahsoka but that was mostly hand to hand. Obi-wan planned to train Anakin to use a sword himself. That morning Obi-wan had brought all his memories of fighting with a blade to the front of their drift. It wouldn't give Anakin the muscle memory he would need in a real fight but it was a quick and dirty way to teach techniques, and how a stance should feel.

Obi-wan lifted his wooden practice blade to a ready stance, and watched Anakin do the same. He was a hair slower, but that seemed to be because he was concentrating, rather than being uncertain.

Obi-wan had studied three or four styles. He knew dozens of katas at a variety of skill levels. He met Anakin's eye.

"From the top?"

Anakin closed his eyes, and nodded to himself, "The first form -- Attack or defense?"

"Take the attacking side, we'll see how you do."

Nodding, Anakin waited. Obi-wan took a breath and found he didn't need to center himself. The world already felt right and clear around him, despite the gap in his training. He'd seen Anakin fight, both by watching and through their drift. Even though he'd never faced him personally, Obi-wan was confident Anakin would step forward with his right foot.

Time to test that confidence.

Obi-wan lowered the tip of his practice sword, giving the opening that would start the sequence of attacks that made up the first kata. Anakin stepped forward with his right foot, jabbing with the sword in a move that Obi-wan parried.

“Easy. Start slow. You want to be precise. Speed will come later.” He said without pausing.

The high block turned into a downward strike. Anakin shifted his weight, catching Obi-wan's sword just enough to make the strike miss. He slid his blade up along Obi-wan's in a strike aiming for the throat. Obi-wan stepped away, letting muscle memory and his years of training take over.

“Good, but be careful about resting your blade on mine. It give me a connection, that an experienced opponent can take advantage of.”

They moved at a slow but steady pace through each step of the dance. Occasionally Obi-wan had to remind Anakin to keep his elbows up or watch his footwork, but it happened less and less as the first then second hour rolled on.

Eventually Anakin stepped back, his blade falling to his side. Obi-wan raised an eyebrow, stepping back as well.

"Time for a break," Anakin said. He was smiling, small and fond.

Obi-wan did a brief inventory. Anakin still seemed fine to continue, but his own leg was aching and there were the first pangs of hunger that told him it was nearly diner.

"Fine," He agreed, "but you should do a set of strikes and blocks to cool down."

Anakin watched him slump onto the bench before he took up his sword again.

The Negotiator was fixed by the end of the second month, which was good because there was a Kaiju attack a week later. The base stood to alert for the half hour it took to confirm that the single whale-like beast was headed almost directly west towards Indonesia and New-Guinea. Obi-wan used the attack as an excuse to avoid Palpatine’s latest party.

He towed Anakin back to his rooms for some studying instead, and only looked up when Padme joined them an hour later.

"Looking for a place to hide?" Obi-wan glanced up from his small table where he was helping Anakin translate his mechanical knowledge into what a Jaeger could do in combat. Anakin was a natural at calculating the stress levels for a hundred different parts, but he sometimes had trouble translating that into what a human could do.

Padme pressed the door closed behind her and rolled her eyes. At some point she’d acquired a more appropriate wardrobe. Her hair was up in a complicated series of small braids and beaded clips. Her dress was made of layers of white and blue silk that drifted through the air around her as she moved.

Senator Palpatine was apparently taking advantage of the new upgrades to showcase everything his department had in the works. The results were an endless stream of cocktail parties and meet and greets disguised as informational summits. Padme was taking full advantage to drum up support for her cause but it was clearly wearing on her.

"You're one to talk master Jedi. I happen to know that leg is practically healed."

It was true. He was still using the crutches, but that was mostly at the doctor's bidding, so he didn't exert himself. He could walk without them if he needed to.

"What was it this time?" Anakin asked, gratefully pushing his book away.

"The presentation of a new firing mechanism." Padme crossed the room trailing a hand over his shoulder on her way to Obi-wan's small kitchenette. By now she was as familiar with Obi-wan's rooms as she was with her own small quarters, and she moved to make a new pot of tea with surety.

A month ago Obi-wan would have never thought he'd be so comfortable with another person in his private space, let alone two of them. but now Padme knew where he kept everything and Anakin had a favorite mug. It was a good feeling. Obi-wan wasn't looking too closely at those emotions for the moment, he didn't want to give them a name yet, in case he was wrong.

"Well at least that’s useful" Anakin said with a little shrug.

"The demonstration took all of ten minutes. The other three hours and fifty minutes were spent discussing how novel it is to be surrounded by clones and how much effort it took to get fresh pineapple all the way out here on the west coast." She scowled into her chai and visibly took a breath to calm herself.

"It sounds like Viceroy Gunray was in attendance. Now I'm definitely glad I didn't attend." Obi-wan murmured into his own cup. "Still I do hope it was at least a little productive. I'll remind you that you're not actually an elected official, so you don't need to attend."

Padme pursed her lips, then smiled as she settled on the bed. "Actually I _am_ an elected official. The vote was counted up this morning."

Anakin leaned over, wrapping one arm around her, "That's amazing, I had no idea it would go through that fast!"

She hugged him back, her previous annoyance gone.

"What's this?" Obi-wan asked, looking between the two of them.

Padme took a deep breath, and launched into an explanation. "Well I was talking with Jesse and Echo and it came up that because the clones are all under military contract. They don't have representation in the civilian governments. It hasn't been a problem so far but in three years or so the first of the contracts will be up and the clones will be free to enter the private sector. Except they won't be able to do much because they're not American citizens, not citizens of any nation really. But that means they fall under refugee law; you know that set of laws passed in the second year after the breach."

Obi-wan thought back, nodding slowly. "If I remember correctly it lets a group of people elect a representative with full political cross boundary rights. There were a lot of qualifications though. it was very controversial at the time."

Padme nodded, "it was. There are a ton of hoops to jump through normally. Everyone has to get checked out and renounce citizenship of any prior nation, and then if you don't have enough people it ends up in limbo. But the brothers can get things done fast when they want to. I volunteered to represent them for a four year term. None of them can do it since one of the rules is that the representative can't be presently serving in a military force. By the time my term is up the oldest of the brothers will be free to run for the office."

Obi-wan sat back in his chair. "That's... amazing." Padme had been on base for two months. He'd known she was incredible but this was bordering on the impossible. To meet with that many people, and convince them to let her stand for them, sure they weren't burdened with an abundance of options and it seemed like everyone had agreed it would only be for one term, but still...

"What's amazing is that they didn't already have representation. Regular military personnel have a say in their government. Even Jedi get a say as to who is on your council. I mean it's certainly good for me. It'll give me a real vote rather then just whispering in people's ears, and after my term I'll still be able to use those connections, but really. They would be in real trouble in a few years if someone didn't step up for them. This way I can get some kind of structure in place for when they retire from the Gar." She took a breath and ran a hand through her hair, removing the clips so it fell around her face. "I mean we only just submitted the paperwork, so it still has to be processed and everything but it's a real step forward."

"More than that, it's a step no one else thought to take," Obi-wan pointed out.

"Sounds like a great excuse to celebrate to me," Anakin said, standing.

Obi-wan considered how much they had gotten done, and how much they were likely to get done if they kept going and nodded.

"Should we order something in?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin shook his head, "Nah, we just need something to drink. I'll make Mexican. Hang on, I'll just grab some stuff from my rooms."  His hand trailed over Padme's as he headed for the door.

Her eyes caught Obi-wan's and she blushed. Obi-wan glanced away, wondering what she'd seen on his face.

Obi-wan started clearing away the books, and realized he’d picked up Anakin’s fidgeting.

“You look lovely,” He said clearing his throat.

“Thank you. It’s nice for an evening but if it’s all the same could I borrow this instead?” She reached out plucking at the sleeve of the outer robe that was hanging on the back of his bathroom door.

He blinked at her, hesitating, “Ah, no I don’t mind.”

“Thank you. I couldn’t slump in this dress if I tried.” She stood and turned lifting her hair to reveal the curve of her shoulders and back. “Can you get the zipper for me?”

He stood, breathing in her lily and honeysuckle perfume as he fumbled with the zipper. It finally caught and she pressed an arm to her breasts so it didn’t fall off her as she slipped into the bathroom.

“That’s better,” She said returning a minute later. The robe covered more than the dress had but it somehow felt more intimate all the same. It had been a long time since he’d had such a beautiful woman in his rooms.

“Anakin’s lucky to have you,” Obi-wan said, mostly to remind himself.

Padme hung up her dress where his robe had been. “I’m just as lucky to have him. My sister used to tease me about the crush I had. She said I orbited him like I was the moon to his sun.” She wrinkled up her nose but she was smiling under it.

“I know what she meant. He’s bright. His personality shines like few I’ve ever seen.”

She considered, her head falling to one side and showing a curve of neck. “You’re right, but I was too embarrassed to admit it at the time. I told her it didn’t make any sense. The moon orbited the earth not the sun. Really without the earth the whole thing falls apart.” She met his eyes.

He didn’t know what to think, seeing her there curled up in his robe, on his bed talking about another man. A man she was clearly in love with, and who loved her in return. A man Obi-wan cared about and respected and maybe something more...

 

Anakin came back with two bottles of cheap tequila as well as most of the ingredients for tacos.

“Alright, time to celebrate.” He declared.

“I’ll help you with that,” Obi-wan offered. He needed something to do with his hands.

Between the food, the company and the alcohol, Obi-wan was content and warm. He’d had perhaps more alcohol than was advisable but he had good reason and at least he wasn’t alone. Both of them had matched him drink for drink.

They'd all ended up on Obi-wan's bed since it was the only place to sit other then the table. Obi-wan might have been a high ranking pilot who rated a larger room then normal but in this case that wasn't saying much. The bed was a queen that Obi-wan had spent a full month's pay on. It had been the one luxury he had allowed himself.

Obi-wan was at the head of the bed, his back against the wall. Anakin was lounging sideways with his legs draped over Obi-wan's. He'd started out propped against the wall too, since the bed was tucked into a corner, but over the course of the night, he'd slowly slumped into the nest of pillows that Padme had created. She was between them, not quite in the corner but only because she was pressed into Anakin's side.

Padme stretched, yawning into the quiet which had fallen between them. It was a pleasant  silence. It was a comfortable evening, which Obi-wan thought might have surprised him under other circumstances. As it was, he was too at peace with the world to bother with it.

Anakin hummed into Padme's skin, nuzzling into her neck, and dropping a kiss on the curve of her shoulder.

Distanly Obi-wan wondered if Anakin realized they had an audience, or if he was just that comfortable in his love for her. He knew Anakin wasn't ashamed of his emotions; that much was obvious when they drifted. Anakin lived with his heart on his sleeve, all passion and instinct.

The drift made things complicated for Jedi. Some abstained entirely. Those who did choose to have sex either had casual affairs that didn’t mean anything beyond the physical or went to bed with their drift partner. That last was an appealing idea at the moment. Obi-wan hadn't shared his bed with anyone in any sense of the word in longer then he cared to think about. A part of him wanted to sneak away, give them the privacy they obviously weren't thinking about. Another part of him lazilly pointed out that it was his room. Where was he expected to go? Plus there was the effort of extricating himself from under Anakin's legs. The alcohol had dulled the pain in his leg to something distant and barely noticeable, but he knew it would spark up again if he tried to do anything too strenuous.

Padme bit Anakin's lip, teasing it with her teeth. Obi-wan quietly realized that he knew what that felt like. Those first few weeks Anakin hadn't had any shields to speak of. Obi-wan had seen things: Anakin’s mother, his first time meeting Padme, meeting her again later, falling in love with her all over again, the first night they’d made love. Obi-wan tried not to focus on it, but he knew how soft the skin of her neck felt under Anakin's lips. He knew the sound Padme would make if Anakin followed through with the teasing and drew his hand up the inside of her thigh.

Padme nuzzled down against Anakin until he kissed her still. In return she slid a hand down his chest, slipping up under the edge of his shirt. It was so easy for them. Obi-wan had never felt so comfortable in his own skin. But the second hand memories of Anakin's skin were vivid in his mind. Her touch could make him plead, or moan. The contrast of her soft curves and the strength beneath them made him want. Sinking into her, making her shiver as she came around him felt like flying. It felt like the drift.

Obi-wan wasn't sure who he meant anymore. He was half hard and he couldn’t tell how much of it was from watching them, and how much was from the drift-echo. He tried to think and found only the hazy edges of consciousness.

Anakin slid another few inches deeper into the pillows, letting his head rest on one of Padme's breasts.

"You don't mind?" Anakin asked, his eyes closed.

Obi-wan wasn't sure who he was asking or what the question was in reference to, but he shook his head anyway. He wanted to be here, with them, even if it wasn’t really his place. Padme turned in his direction, perhaps noticing the movement. She met his eyes over Anakin's head. Obi-wan could see a thought, moving behind her eyes, but was too far out of his head to figure out what it was. She hummed a few notes; the start of a song, or maybe the answer to Anakin's question.

Obi-wan fell asleep before he figured out what it meant.

Anakin never mentioned what happened that night, but Padme caught up with Obi-wan the next afternoon, when they were all mostly recovered from the hangovers.

"If you're not comfortable..." She hesitated, going quiet as she matched his pace down the corridor.

Obi-wan's mind flashed back to the night before and the tangled emotions wrapped up in it. He still didn't have an answer.

"Anakin loves with everything he is," she said, starting again. "I love him, but everything he does is so all encompassing. Sometimes I worry that something will happen and his whole world will come crashing down because one person isn't enough."

Obi-wan swallowed, nodding. "The drift is... There are a lot of rumors and myths about it, but the bit about sharing memories and feelings is true..." He trailed off. He wasn't sure how to phrase what he meant, just that he needed her to be okay with it.

She nodded slowly, her gaze even.

"That kind of connection. If the partners don't tear each other apart... It's impossible not to love someone when you understand them that well."

This time her nod was stronger. "Then I know you'll take care of him."

"I will." It was a promise he intended to keep.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Things were going well.

The papers for Padme's election went through, and Mace gave her her own office just so he'd have a place to send all the requests she was suddenly getting.

Obi-wan was recovering faster then expected, and Anakin was learning in leaps and bounds. Obi-wan was definitely going to recommend him for the advanced classes when the three months were up, maybe even full knight status if they could work out something for the holes in his education. The first Jedi hadn't been temple trained after all.

Obi-wan would occasionally think about that night. How the three of them had curled up in his bed and woken up the next morning on top of the covers, pressed together with matching hangovers. It made his breath catch in his chest, like he was balanced on the edge of something, about to topple over.

It was the closest to perfect his life had ever been, so of course everything had to go terribly wrong.

The Kaiju alarm went off half an hour after general lights out, the last week before Obi-wan was approved for active duty. That didn't stop him from rolling out of bed and pulling on an under-suit in the regulation three minutes.

He headed for the Pilot's command center. Anakin caught up with him, halfway there, still wearing that day's clothes. They fell into step, strides matching as they joined the rush of brothers eager to get to their designated stations.

The rush turned into a tense stillness when they got to the command center. Obi-wan met Cody's eyes. He and Rex were standing by the elevator down to the Negotiator. He desperately wanted to go and stand with them, to fall into the drift and step forward with the weight and power of 7000 tons of steel behind him. But he hadn't been approved for combat, Cody had another partner, with luck no one here would have to fight tonight...

The big screen blinked, the sensors around the breach coming to life. One of the technicians cursed.

"Three confirmed hostiles. Combatant one designated Tyrannous. Combatant two designated Grievous. Combatant three designated Mauler.  All heading north - Hawaii is going dark - Standby."

Anakin pressed against Obi-wan's side, and reached for his hand. Obi-wan gladly laced their fingers together. Padme stepped up to his other side. He didn't know when she'd arrived, but it was a comfort to know she was safe with them.

The room waited in a tense silence for nearly twenty minutes.

There had been attacks on Hawaii in the past.  Those who hadn't abandoned the islands were resilient and knew all the protocols. Kaiju were attracted to electrical signals, and light. The volcanoes could take care of themselves, the rest of the islands went dark, except for the carefully shielded sensor arrays.

"Heading confirmed: mark zero-four-two.  Base status upgraded to full alert. Repeat: Base status upgraded to full alert."

Padme and Anakin looked to him, fear and determination in their eyes. He tried to project calm. He had been through this before but every time his heart still raced, the fear building in the face of something that he couldn't fight.

"We still have plenty of time," he said just above a whisper. "The pilots will start doing system checks once the mechanics are clear." He nodded to Cody who gave him a quick salute in turn. The elevator closed on him, Rex and the others.

He turned his attention back to Anakin and Padme and cleared his throat, "Kaiju move quickly but they have a lot of ground to cover. Jaegers are all designed to handle underwater combat but we prefer to meet them in the shallows. Right now all the bases from Anchorage to San Diego are gearing up, just like we are. When the Kaiju pass the third line of sensors we'll know if we're going to be taking point or playing a more supporting role."

"Three Kaiju, that's very rare isn't it?" Padme asked. Her voice higher than normal but otherwise steady.

"It is." Obi-wan agreed. "The breach is only so big and it can only stay open for so long, but we've dealt with it before. We will again."

The technicians started, echoing commands from the main control room, reporting the Status of Domino, Arc-Tera and the Negotiator. They were lucky; all of the pilots were experienced. Domino had participated in three fights and acted as backup for two more. Waxer and Boil were newer. They had acted as support for two fights before participating three months ago. Cody had been Obi-wan's partner for three fights, taking point each time. Rex was nearly as experienced. He'd worked with two other brothers, going into active combat twice before being assigned as Cody's backup, and drift partner.

All of the neural handshakes were strong.

It was another hour before the Kaiju were close enough that they knew they would see combat. They had veered south briefly, then looped back north.  

"Stand by for deployment. We are taking point with Wolf and Lumin backing us up from the San-Francisco dome." Mace's voice came over the speaker for the whole base to hear. There was a chorus of acknowledgments down the line of technicians.

“Wolf and Lumin are both Jedi-clone pairs. They’re good,” He said as much to reassure himself as his companions.

The big screen shifted zooming in on a 50 mile span of the southern Oregon coast line just above the California border. One of the Kaiju was slower than the others veering slightly farther south. Obi-Wan ran a hand over his mouth. It wasn't unheard of for a base to be called up twice in such a short time span, but it was damn unlucky.

 

Their small group watched as the support and transport teams checked in. Brothers went through the final checklists for each of the three Jaegers. Below the big screen, smaller screens lit up with the status of each drift. With nothing else to do Obi-Wan found himself explaining the details.

 

"Jaeger can move fairly quickly it is true, but propelling that much mass requires a huge amount of energy which puts its toll on both the machine and the pilots. When a fight is at the edge of a bases range as it is today the jaegers are deployed only after being carried closer to the battlefield. If you look at that screen you can see their progress."

 

They were into the hurry up and wait section of the fight, which Obi-Wan always thought was the worst part.

A new set of lights were on the map now, representing the Jaegers and their transports. Their course was set to intercept the Kaiju just off the coast. Wolf and Lumin would arrive five to ten minutes after the Negotiator and the others. They liked to outnumber the Kaiju whenever possible and with three Kaiju on the field, no one doubted that Wolf and Lumin would have to step in.

There was another flurry of activity when the transports dropped their cargo. Negotiator, Domino and Arc-Tera each checked in, and started spreading out in a standard V formation.

"Enemy in sight," Domino reported. One of the technicians pulled Domino's viewpoint up on screen. The analysts were already going over possible weak points and strategies.

Obi-wan squinted, taking a half step forward. That Kaiju was the one designated Grievous. It had six spindly legs, each tipped with two overlong claws. From the way it was moving Obi-wan guessed it would be just as comfortable standing on two legs, and attacking with its forelimbs as it was standing on four or all six limbs. The other two Kaiju were slower, or maybe just less aggressive.

The Negotiator took the left flank, "Second Target in sight."

Mauler was a cross between a tiger and a bull, with spines up the outsides of its limbs and a thick ridge on its head that twisted into a series of horns. It's tail was as long as its body and covered in segmented spined armor.

Orders came down from Mace, but Obi-wan barely heard them. He felt disconnected from the whole ordeal. The last time he'd had to watch his friends go into battle he'd been a Padawan. There'd been nothing he could do back then. He'd had to watch Master Jinn hold off the Kaiju alone for nearly twenty minutes before he fell. Mace had survived, and the Kaiju had eventually been taken down, but by then Obi-wan had already seen his worst fear play out on those same screens.

Distantly he saw the Negotiator engage Mauler. That was Cody out there, his friend, his drift partner. The camera shook as the Negotiator took a hit and staggered back. Arc-Tera was double-teaming Grievous with Domino so the Negotiator was alone, just like Qui-gon had been.

"Obi-wan!"

He came back at the sound of his name and the hand on his arm. Anakin turned him so they were facing each other, and Obi-wan had his back to the screens.

"Come back to me..."

He swallowed then nodded, "I'm here. Sorry."

Anakin smiled, "It's okay. You're worried, I get it. They'll be okay." Anakin's smile faltered, his eyes darting up over Obi-wan's shoulder. His heart seized all over again as Obi-wan turned back to the screens. Arc-Tera's camera had gone dark. The technician at that station was trying to get it back up frantically pulling up system logs and typing in commands.

Obi-wan caught Arc-Tera's response to the check in order. "We were hit, armor damage to the left side. it's got some kind of electricity--" There was a pause filled with grunts. Obi-wan assumed they'd gotten back into the fight.

"Confirm damage on Arc-Tera outer plating: shoulder unit 6-9 and arm unit 2 and 3." Another technician reported.

"Looks like the damage shorted out the primary camera, trying secondaries-"

"Electricity attack confirmed, all pilots be aware."

They could still see Arc-Tera on Domino's screen. The area around the damage had been scorched black, with lightning trails zeroing in on the shoulder joint. The arm was still moving so it wasn't as bad as it could be but Waxer and Boil had to be in pain. The readings from their drift were certainly strained.

Domino gestured to Arc-Tera, who nodded. They started circling Mauler, harrying its   flanks. Each time it would turn on one of them, the other darted forward, striking out with vibro-blades or shock-knuckles.

Cursing from Negotiator's station drew Obi-wan's attention. "Negotiator's lightsaber is gone - repeat, Negotiator's lightsaber is out of commission."

That made Obi-wan curse. The lightsaber was the negotiator's main weapon. There was a backup vibro-blade and it was equipped with an air gun, but those were more defensive. Without the lightsaber Negotiator's effectiveness was halved at least, and neither of the two Kaiju had been dealt with yet... no - none of the three Kaiju...

"Where's the third one?" Obi-wan frantically asked, his eyes scanning over the larger map. The satellites weren't precise enough at that range. It should have been on top of them so why couldn't they see it yet? Wolf and Lumin were still over five minutes out, if Tyrannus attacked now the best they could hope for would be to hold it off until reinforcements could be fielded.

Anakin grabbed his hand. For a brief moment they locked eyes and he could tell the other man was thinking the same thing.

"What can we do?" He asked in a voice that didn't carry beyond their small group.

Obi-wan shook his head, "I don't know. If the Negotiator was..." He shook his head again. The Negotiator was already out there. He couldn't join the fight, no matter how much he wanted to.

A low thrum came through the speakers of all three Jaegers. A line of red dots lit up the water around the fighters and vanished just as quickly. Everyone started talking at once. Technicians barked out system reports, the pilots were cursing and over it all was the roar of the Kaiju.

All at once the cameras for Domino and the Negotiator cut out.

The activity redoubled as they tried to get them back up. A second later they lost audio. Obi-wan's heart sank. They still had the sensor and damage readings for the Jaegers, and the drift readings from the pilots, but in every real sense they were flying blind.

"They need backup." Anakin tugged at his hand again. Obi-wan didn't try to stop him.

"There's nothing we can do." His voice rang hollow even in his own ears. None of his friends would be coming back from this fight and he knew it. In his mind he was already preparing for their pyres. They may not be able to recover the bodies but they would certainly be mourned properly.

"There's Libra," Anakin said. He waved a hand towards the elevator down to the fourth Jaeger. It was... It was possible. The Libra was fully functional to the best of his knowledge. It didn't have a team of pilots because it was an experimental design and they didn't want to send it into combat with a pair of shinies. Anakin may not have seen combat, but he certainly had. He didn't know what it was equipped with though, and he had no idea how long it would take to get down the coast.

"So we leave now!" Anakin said, interrupting what must have been a stream of babble.

Obi-wan looked up and realized that he had half a second to make a decision that could change the fate of everyone out there fighting, everyone living along the coast, and maybe most importantly, the man in front of him. Anakin was a bright open earnest soul with next to no training, but the will to push through regardless, and... Obi-wan trusted him.

One, two, trust, love.

Obi-wan nodded, "Let's go."

"What?" Padme asked, eyes dancing between them and the big screens. Anakin flashed her a wild smile.

Obi-wan stepped in before he could worry her too badly, "I need you to tell Mace that we're taking the Libra to back up the others." He pointed at the staircase up to the main control station. Her expression turned hard. She nodded and turned to do as asked.

Obi-wan turned back to Anakin looking him over. The tshirt and cargo pants would do in place of an under-suit. His mind raced over the standard list of pre-battle requirements, discarding any that weren't absolutely necessary.

"Jesse, power up Libra." He ordered the technician at the end of the line. Anakin hit the button for the elevator. For a moment they had the attention of all the brothers in the room. The tense atmosphere shifted, a note of hope feeding through the desperation.

"Roger that!" Jesse called.

The elevator dinged. He and Anakin stepped forward already in sync.


	9. Chapter 9

Obi-wan only had to give a few basic instructions before Anakin settled into the full body harness. Unlike the machines in the meditation rooms this one only had minimal safety features. Obi-wan settled into his own harness and gave the command to bypass the regular boot up sequence, and system check. They needed movement first, everything else could be done once they were underway.

"Last chance, no turning back," Obi-wan said, glancing at Anakin.

"Same to you, old man."

They locked the helmets into place, just as Jesse spoke over the coms, "skipping to final flight check, pilots please confirm."

"Confirm. We are go for neural handshake."

There was a piercing thrum at the back of his skull and Obi-wan threw himself into the drift.

Anakin, where... There. Easy, no time, find the pattern. Just like with Cody and in practice. One... Two... One... Two...

Thrumming energy, light, excitement. He should have been afraid, couldn't let himself be afraid, Padme would be waiting, watching. Obi-wan beside him. People were counting on them.

Cockpit. In the Libra. Stay mindful of the present.

"Control, we are go for launch."

The big bay doors opened in front of them, as the final docking clamps released. They took their first step, out into the wild water of the Pacific.

Drift--

It had never been so easy to move. He could sense the weight and power of the Libra, but it barely took a thought to move. Was it the system or the drift that was making it so easy?

They lifted their right hand and the options for a plasma-rifle came up.

Nice to know they had a decent ranged weapon even if it wasn’t his favorite.

Enough dawdling, they had a job to do.

“Libra, your drift checks out. Now go help the other, and come back safe so I can kick your asses for breaking protocol.” Mace barked.

“Yes sir.”

…

Turn south. Under them motors revved eagerly. The heat in their core spreading to every gear and piston. The first step was slow, since they were still in the water.

Steam gushed up at their second step. By the time they hit the sand they were running full out.

Except it was still too slow.

The battle was 200 miles south along the coast. … … … … … … … … … …  … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … they’d need to break the speed of sound…

He reached out and started flipping switches.

A sub-orbital jump.

Focus Anakin, this isn’t going to be easy.

They breathed together, leaning forward, still running but now the outer plates of their armor were shifting to become more aerodynamic. Jets in the legs, in the back and shoulders, all burning white hot.

The drift was so strong, they could push just a little more, just enough to boost the jump.

Like this.

They reached into the drift.

Obi-wan hadn’t done this for years, not since Quinlan.

Energy gathered around them. Every bit of will from every moment they could remember, pushing forward towards something better. Focused through the lense of that moment and one crystal thought.

Fly.

He saw the the last moment when his foot was touching the ground and pushed.

Several tons of metal and circuitry the size of a building lept into the air, higher and faster than most planes, and the night sky opened up around the.

Oh, good, that actually worked.

Alright, so far so good.

Falling -- on target -- wait for the right moment -- deceleration -- wait for it -- almost…

There, a roiling patch of gray sea covered in whitecaps. The bulky shapes of the Kaiju. The metal of the Jaegers shining.

Something was wrong.

Five Jaegers -- Wolf dark red and Lumin purple -- but something was wrong.

They should be moving more.

Coming in fast, no time to figure it out.

They shifted slightly to come down on top of one of the Kaiju, drilling through bone and muscle, sending blue chunks flying, and through to the water below.

| 

Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan… Obi-wan, Tea and clear salt air. I can do this just relax and-- Yes. One… Two… One… Two…

Calm patience. Ocean and cold smooth stones. Steady but relentless. Don’t focus on the danger or the fear. Let it flow through you and Anakin beside him. People are counting on us

Cockpit. In the Libra. Stay in the moment.

“Control, We are go for Launch.”

The big bay doors opened in front of them, as the final docking clamps released. They took their first step, out into the wild water of the Pacific.

Wow--

Was it always so easy to move--? He could sense the weight and power of the Libra, but it barely took a thought to move. Was it the machine or the drift that was making it so easy?

They lifted their right hand and the options for a plasma-rifle came up.

Cool, wonder what else this thing had under the hood. … … … … … …

Not right now, they had a job to do.

“Libra, your drift checks out. Now go help the other, and come back safe so I can kick your asses for breaking protocol.” Mace ordered.

…

“Let’s see how fast this thing can go.”

Turn south. Under them motors revved eagerly. The heat in their core spreading to every gear and piston. The first step was slow, since they were still in the water.

Steam gushed up at their second step. By the time they hit the sand they were going over 60.

Except it was still too slow.

… … … … … … … … … … … 200 miles south. Distance over time -- traction -- wind resistance -- it wasn’t enough -- they’d need to break the speed of sound...

Obi-wan reached out and started flipping switches.

That’s an option!?!

Right, right, focusing. … … … … … … … … … … … …

They breathed together, leaning forward, still running but now the outer plates of their armor were shifting to become more aerodynamic. Jets in the legs, in the back and shoulders, all burning white hot.

The drift was so strong, they could push just a little more, just enough to boost the jump.

How?

They reached into the drift.

Anakin had heard about this kind of thing.

Energy gathered around them. Every bit of will from every moment they could remember, pushing forward towards something better. Focused through the lense of that moment and one crystal thought.

Fly.

He saw the the last moment when his foot was touching the ground and pushed.

Several tons of metal and circuitry the size of a building lept into the air, higher and faster than most planes, and the night sky opened up around them.

Holy shit this is awesome!

Okay, so far so good.

Terminal velocity -- speed of freefall with wind resistance -- angle of decent…

There, a roiling patch of gray sea covered in whitecaps. The bulky shapes of the Kaiju. The metal of the Jaegers shining.

Something was wrong.

Five Jaegers -- Wolf dark red and Lumin purple -- but something was wrong.

Shouldn’t they be moving more?

Coming in fast, no time to figure it out.

They shifted slightly to come down on top of one of the Kaiju, drilling through bone and muscle, sending blue chunks flying, and through to the water below.  
  
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<><><><><>

 

 

Padme held her breath, doing her best to look outwardly calm as the two people she was closest to went into combat.  The screen for Libra was the only one still active. All the other Jaegers weren't sending signals any longer. They were either gone, or too damaged for it. Libra might be fighting three Kaiju alone.

She didn’t even know what to call it when they jumped. She'd never imagined anything could move that fast. Commander Windu just grunted, though a few of the brothers were grinning.

"Well, that certainly is something."

Padme gasped, a hand going to her heart, "Oh Senator, you startled me." She turned and smiled at Senator Palpatine.

He waved her off, "You were just focused, not surprising. Obi-wan's partner is his student, your--" he hummed over his word choice, "Your friend, is he not?"

Her back straightened. She'd never tried to hide her relationship, and she didn't plan to, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t grateful for the fact she was wearing one of her stolen Jedi robes and the perceived authority that came with it. He could insinuate impropriety all he liked. "Yes, he is. Tell me Senator, what do you think of this battle? I was lead to believe your new upgrades would have them winning battles with ease. This is rather unfortunate for you isn't it."

His eyes narrowed, but the rest of his expression remained bland, "Yes, it's a pity." He turned back to the monitors, subtly ending the conversation.

Libra was in range to see the battlefield now. There were four Jaegers standing, with the fifth collapsed off to one side, All of them looked like they had damage, but she couldn't tell how bad it was. Not enough to kill the pilots she hoped; She'd gotten attached to all of them over the past few months. The three Kaiju were on the field as well, and without readings from the Jaegers the base had no way to know if there were any confirmed kills.

Then Libra adjusted it's fall and landed right on top of Mauler. Padme gasped as the brothers let out a fierce cheer.

"We have one confirmed kill," Commander Windu said without bothering to glance at the appropriate screens. "Libra, see if you can patch us in to Lumin and Wolf's communication network. I want to know how bad things are out there."

"Bad." Anakin answered a moment later.

Obi-wan spoke on his heels, "When we have a moment, Commander."

 

<><><><><>

 

 

The waves rolled over them, as they fought to get back to their feet, Gray-blue and Kaiju-blue mixing, before sliding away from their view port.

The Negotiator was down, an ungainly sprawl in the shallows. They couldn’t tell if Rex and Cody had managed to get out alive.

Domino had frozen in place, one arm raised slightly as if reaching for something.

Grievous was missing two of its spider like legs, slowly circling Domino, seemingly unsure whether it should attack or not.

Arc-tera, Wolf, Lumin, and a large Kaiju with the upper half that looked almost human and a lower half made of tentacles were a bit farther south, each weaving around the others in a confusing haze.

"Libra, see if you can patch us in to Lumin and Wolf's communication network. I want to know how bad things are out there." Mace said.

Metal screeched as Tyrannous caught Lumin, and lifted them into the air.

…

"When we have a moment commander."

Lumin might have been in trouble but it was still three against one -- Grievous first.

Weapons.

A list lit up the screen between them.

Oh good, there was a lightsaber.

They reached up and back, drawing the hilt from behind their right shoulder. The plasma-engine ignited with a thought, and the shining blue blade came to life.

Grievous turned, and let out a hissing roar. Bolts of electricity shot down its remaining legs.

Have to be careful of that.

First stance. Blade ready.

The kaiju lowered its head, and charged.

Block the first strike. Easy enough to treat the legs like swords.

The electricity was protecting it, interesting.

Step in, strike.

No, block -- It still has four limbs, I’m out of practice.  Break away.

Brace yourself.

They screamed, throwing everything they had into a block, as the Kaiju reared back on it’s two hind legs and brought it’s remaining two legs down on them, sparking razor claws and all.

What?

Flip it over, yes.

Anakin flipped the vibro-blade out from his wrist.

Force it back.

It was enough.

They ducked down, then up. Just a touch of the drift power to ease things along. Force it up and over.

It hit the water hard, sending a wave crashing back away and over it.

Finish it.

they reversed their grip on the the vibro-blade, and brought it down on the Kaiju’s neck. It spasmed, then went still, Kaiju blue leaking into the water.

“Confirm the kill.”

“No signs of life, kill confirmed Libra.” Mace responded.

Two down, one to go.

They stood, and turned towards the other fight.

Wait…

It caught the corner of his eye.

Fives was out of Domino. He’d climbed up onto the shoulder of his Jaeger, and was waving his arms over his head.

When he saw them looking, he started  signalling.

...

Semaphore, wait a moment.

B-A-D--S-T-A-R-T--C-O-D-E

The implications flooded the drift.

They hadn’t booted up the Libra the normal way. Had that saved them? Was it all the other Jaegers? No, the upgrades -- it had to be. Was it intentional? They’d never liked Palpatine. There was no proof. No time to find proof.

“Libra, is there a problem?” Mace asked.

“No--”

अपग्रेड की जांच करें, हमें धोखा दिया गया है। - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What was that?

...

You know Hindi?

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 

We have our own job to take care of.

They nodded to Fives and turned towards the final Kaiju.

| 

The waves rolled over them, as they fought to get back to their feet, Gray-blue and Kaiju-blue mixing, before sliding away from their view port.

The Negotiator was down, an ungainly sprawl in the shallows. They couldn’t tell if Rex and Cody had managed to get out okay.

Domino had frozen in place, one arm raised slightly as if reaching for something.

Grievous was missing two of its spider like legs, slowly circling Domino, seemingly unsure whether it should attack or not.

Arc-tera, Wolf, Lumin, and a large Kaiju with the upper half that looked almost human and a lower half made of tentacles were a bit farther south, each weaving around the others in a confusing haze.

"Libra, see if you can patch us in to Lumin and Wolf's communication network. I want to know how bad things are out there." Mace said.

Metal screeched as Tyrannous caught Lumin, and lifted them into the air.

“Bad.”

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Lumin might have been in trouble but it was still three against one -- Grievous first.

Weapons.

A list lit up the screen between them.

Awesome, there was a lightsaber.

They reached up and back, drawing the hilt from behind their right shoulder. The plasma-engine ignited with a thought, and the shining blue blade came to life.

Grievous turned, and let out a hissing roar. Bolts of electricity shot down its remaining legs.

Check, electricity attack.

First stance. Blade ready.

Grievous lowered its head, and charged.

Block the first strike. Okay right, treat the legs like a sword.

Take off the limb, no, can’t because of the electricity.

Step in, strike.

No, block -- damn it this thing has too many legs. Break away.

Here it comes!

They screamed, throwing everything they had into a block, as the Kaiju reared back on it’s two hind legs and brought it’s remaining two legs down on them, sparking razor claws and all.

Up.

Flip it over, like a bug on it’s back.

He flipped the vibro-blade out from his wrist.

Stab up and in.

It was enough.

They ducked down, then up. Just a touch of the drift power to ease things along. Force it up and over.

It hit the water hard, sending a wave crashing back away and over it.

Finish it.

they reversed their grip on the the vibro-blade, and brought it down on the Kaiju’s neck. It spasmed, then went still, Kaiju blue leaking into the water.

...

“No signs of life, kill confirmed Libra.” The base said.

Two down, one to go.

They stood and turned towards the other fight.

What?

...

Fives was out of Domino. He’d climbed up onto the shoulder of his Jaeger, and was waving his arms over his head.

When he saw them looking, he started  signalling.

What is that?

…

…

The implications flooded the drift.

They hadn’t booted up the Libra the normal way. Had that saved them? Was it all the other Jaegers? No, the upgrades -- it had to be. Was it intentional? They’d never liked Palpatine. There was no proof. No time to find proof.

“Libra, is there a problem?” the base asked.

…

“Apagred kee jaanch karen, hamen dhokha diya gaya hai.”

…

Hindi

…

You’re one to talk Mr. Semaphore. Padme taught me. She’ll take care of it.

We have our own job to take care of.

They nodded to Fives and turned towards the final Kaiju.  
  
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	10. Chapter 10

Padme's hand crept up to cover her mouth when Anakin spoke. She'd taught him those words, they had to be meant for her, but she didn't understand.

"Check the upgrade, we've been betrayed."

The only upgrade she could think of was the Jaeger upgrade, and that would mean...

"What the hell is that?" Commander Windu barked, "Is there a problem with the drift?"

"No sir, no errors on this end." a brother in front of the Libra station answered.

"Check it again. Too many things have gone wrong today."

"Yes sir."

The organized chaos of the control center went up a notch. Padme bit her lip. If they thought something was wrong they might order Libra back to base. Obi-wan and Anakin could still do some good out there.

"It's Hindi." A crowd of eyes landed on her.

"What?" Commander Windu said in a low tightly controlled voice.

"It's--" She couldn't tell the truth, not with Palpatine standing at her elbow, but she had to give some explanation. "It's a prayer, I taught it to him. If your machines say the drift is fine then I'm sure they're accurate."

Mace nodded sharply and turned back to the matter of orchestrating a battle.

Padme let out a soft breath. Only to tense right back up when Palpatine spoke.

"I didn't realize you were religious."

She turned to him and hoped her smile wasn't too strained, "I'm not, not really, but it's comforting in times like these. Now if you don't mind, I think all this excitement has gotten the better of me."

Palpatine nodded solemnly, "Of course, will you be alright getting back to your rooms?"

She waved him off before he could offer to escort her himself, "I'll ask one of the brothers, but thank you for your concern."

Slipping down to the Pilot's control room, she tapped Jesse on the shoulder. "Can you get away?"

He looked up at her in surprise. They'd talked a few times, and she knew he was one of the Lead mechanics, but they didn't really know each other beyond that. She mentally crossed her fingers that he would trust her.

"Why?"

Not dismissive or hostile, It was a place to start. "I have a lead on what went wrong."

He looked at his screen, then down the row of terminals where his brothers were having zero luck getting any Jaeger other than Libra back online. One short nod, and he stood.

"Lead the way."

She slipped into the hall with Jesse half a step behind her. Outside the command centers the base seemed empty. Everyone was either at their stations or holed up in their rooms, not wondering the halls at this late hour. She still waited until they'd made two turns before she started talking.

"You heard Anakin's message? Of course you did. It wasn't a prayer. He said to check the upgrade code." She made her voice sharp. Every second counted right now. Someone needed to be in charge and it might as well be her.

She saw Jesse nod out of the corner of her eye, "We never had these kind of problems before the upgrade." He fell into step as if she were a Jedi.

"Can you access the code?" There had to be some kind of log, evidence, _something_. If her friends were dead out there, the least she could was make sure it never happened again, and hopefully bring the person responsible to justice, whether it was some technician with a vendetta, a fanatic, or Palpatine himself.

Jesse nodded, "Yes ma'am. The servers are this way."

 

By the time Libra turned to join the last of the fight things had gotten worse. Lumin was still tangled in the creatures’ tentacles. She was being held horizontally over the water. She'd managed to get a hand free and was batting away any more tentacles that tried to get close with her air gun.

Wolf couldn't come to her rescue because he was dealing with Arc-Tera.

Now they saw the true damage of the faulty code. It didn't just cut off communication, or even freeze the Jaeger in place. That would have been bad enough.

Arc-Tera was attacking Wolf with everything they had. If it hadn't been for the damage to the arm and shoulder, Wolf might have already gone down. As it was, he had no chance to help Lumin between dodging both enemies.

Who to help?

…

Also harder to take down.

Arc-Tera first -- Lumin would just have to hold on a little longer.

They holstered their lightsaber.

Wolf and Arc-Tera were going at each other with fists and short blades. Wolf retreated half a step, a moment before Arc slashed the air where he had been. Wolf stepped in with a jab. It would have been a solid strike in a normal fight, but the Jaeger’s armor held.

They joined the dance before Arc-Tera could retaliate. They tried for a grab -- missed.

Wolf swung low. Arc stumbled-- lashed out.

Now while they were off balance.

Block the hand -- step behind -- palm strike, control the head.

Arc flinched back.

Keep going, all the way down.

Waves crashed over them. Sparks from the damaged shoulder. Arc’s good hand came up -- tried to grab.

Wolf stopped them- went for the pin.

...

Overload the system.

A thought shifted their fist into a set of sparking knuckle dusters. Arc-Tera spasmed then went still.

Scanning...

Minimal power, they’ll be fine.

Wolf shifted back a step, attention still on Arc-Tera just in case.

Now for the Kaiju

| 

By the time Libra turned to join the last of the fight things had gotten worse. Lumin was still tangled in the creatures’ tentacles. She was being held horizontally over the water. She'd managed to get a hand free and was batting away any more tentacles that tried to get close with her air gun.

Wolf couldn't come to her rescue because he was dealing with Arc-Tera.

Now they saw the true damage of the faulty code. It didn't just cut off communication, or even freeze the Jaeger in place. That would have been bad enough.

Arc-Tera was attacking Wolf with everything they had. If it hadn't been for the damage to the arm and shoulder, Wolf might have already gone down. As it was, he had no chance to help Lumin between dodging both enemies.

Who to help?

The Kaiju is the bigger threat.

...

Arc-Tera first -- Lumin would just have to hold on a little longer.

They holstered their lightsaber.

Wolf and Arc-Tera were going at each other with fists and short blades. Wolf retreated half a step, a moment before Arc slashed the air where he had been. Wolf stepped in with a jab. It would have been a solid strike in a normal fight, but the Jaeger’s armor held.

They joined the dance before Arc-Tera could retaliate. They tried for a grab -- missed.

Wolf swung low. Arc stumbled-- lashed out.

Now while they were off balance.

Block the hand -- step behind -- palm strike, right to the face.

Arc flinched back.

Keep going, all the way down.

Waves crashed over them. Sparks from the damaged shoulder. Arc’s good hand came up -- tried to grab.

Wolf stopped them- went for the pin.

Access port in the shoulder.

…

A thought shifted their fist into a set of sparking knuckle dusters. Arc-Tera. spasmed then went still.

…

Let’s finish this.

Wolf shifted back a step, attention still on Arc-Tera just in case.

Now for the Kaiju  
  
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Jesse had pulled in some brothers he trusted, and set them to scanning every update made to the code since Obi-wan's injury. He and the rest of the brothers were bent over tablets, or plugged into the large server racks, all of them silent unless they needed a second set of eyes. Padme had a tablet too, she couldn't read the code, but she felt useless standing around doing nothing.

"Got it!"

Padme looked up, heart in her throat.

"Show me!" Jesse said, leaning over the offered tablet.

"See here, line 281. It's filtering signals through this function, which should send them back through the buffers to the pilots, but instead he changed the global variable over here to hijack the transmission array. That's why they're not getting any signals upstairs, they're on a different frequency. The drift still registers because it's on a protected network."

Jesse clapped him on the shoulder, "Good work Tup. 66 lines of code and it's completely screwed us over. Can you reverse it?"

Tup hesitated then shook his head. "Not from here. I can set up a patch to implement once the Jaegers are back in dock, but all the firewalls are in full force when they're in the field."

"Okay, good enough, get that patch ready and flag that code. We're going to need it as evidence for the court-martial."

Padme met Jesse's eyes, and spoke quietly, "Can you tell who did it?"

"The logs are incomplete but--"

"But?"

"I've got the terminal ID. You were right, it came from Senator Palpatine's private office."

Padme felt her nails bite into the palms of her hands as she clenched them into fists. "Well then Trooper, you’re going to help me arrest him" Her voice came out light and casual through the angry smile she knew she was wearing.

He came to attention, "Ma'am."

She turned, seeing a flash of doubt in a few eyes. They knew who she was. They knew she wasn’t actually a Jedi, even if they trusted her. She stood and put as much force and presence into her posture and voice as she knew how.

"You are all citizens under my authority, which means that outside of the military arena you are my responsibility. I'm the one who sets procedure. If Mace wants to fight for military custody of the matter that's something that we can deal with when it happens. Personally I'd call this kind of tampering attempted murder. Palpatine needs to answer for it."

Jesse grinned  just as fiercely as she did. One of the other brothers let out a triumphant bark of laughter.

Padme nodded at them, "Tup, we'll need that evidence. Someone else should go to the Senator's rooms and lock it down so evidence can be collected there as well."

"We can do that ma'am." Heavy said, gesturing to the brothers beside him, Target and Cutup.

She nodded, "Thank you. The rest of you, with me."

She got a chorus of solutes.

Marching back down the halls with her men at her back felt right. She was doing something that mattered, something just as important as what Anakin and Obi-wan were doing in its own way. No matter what happened on the battlefield she was going to make sure this was settled.

 

It hadn’t taken all that long to bring down Arc-Tera but Lumin hadn’t fared well in the meantime.

One of the tentacles had managed to grab her leg and slowly pulled until the servos gave way and came apart in a ragged line.

She was still screaming.

Other tentacles had her remaining limbs, and were starting to pull.

They reignited their lightsaber.

Wolf stepped up the left flank.

The Kaiju dropped Lumin. Their form still twitching but there was probably a lot of drift-shock. Unduli and Gree would be lucky to ever get back in a cockpit - assuming they survived.

It turned to them, limbs lashing the water. They lit up red with some kind of luminescence and the Kaiju opened a mouth full of over-long needle like teeth.

"It ignores anything but a hit to the body" Plo said in a wide spectrum transmission.

"Acknowledged."

We need speed.

They reached into the drift the same way they had for the jump. The world slowed down and went crystal clear. They could see every drop of water, along each of the twenty or more tentacles.

...

I could use something to take out this aggression on.

Stepping forward, they brought down their lightsaber.

Even a Jaeger designed to handle two Jedi couldn't move as fast as they could react. It felt like moving through pudding.

Bring the sword up, block.

No natural defense on this one.

Another on the left.

Watch our legs.

Two more limbs down.

Wolf, there - an opening?

Try this on for size.

They thrust their arm out and pipes along the exterior of their arm lined up, shooting a burst of pressurized air in a wave of force. The Kaiju rocked back, screeching as it pulled it's limbs in around it.

Wolf leapt forward fang-blades up. Go for the flank.

It has to run out eventually.

Force

Watch the footing

Focus - together - One... Two...

The Kaiju howled as Wolf got in a solid hit. It pulled away from the pain, and there was the opening they'd been looking for.

Their lightsaber cane around and down, blue-white plasma cutting through flesh and bone and burning blue blood to vapor. The torso peeled apart. For a moment every tentacle still attached to the body lashed the water in a violent death spasm, then they went limp.

They slowly let go of the drift settling back into themselves.

...

I know--

"Commander-  confirm the kill."

"Kill confirmed, congratulations Libra. We are sending cleanup teams to your location. You are free to power down."

"Roger that."

...

If the drift is too much of a strain but...

we're okay.

They'd done it.

They still needed to check on the others, and there'd be a mountain of cleanup after this disaster but it was done.

Today, they'd won.

| 

It hadn’t taken all that long to bring down Arc-Tera but Lumin hadn’t fared well in the meantime.

One of the tentacles had managed to grab her leg and slowly pulled until the servos gave way and came apart in a ragged line.

She was still screaming.

Other tentacles had her remaining limbs, and were starting to pull.

They reignited their lightsaber.

Wolf stepped up the left flank.

The Kaiju dropped Lumin. Their form still twitching but there was probably a lot of drift-shock. Unduli and Gree would be lucky to ever get back in a cockpit - assuming they survived.

It turned to them, limbs lashing the water. They lit up red with some kind of luminescence and the Kaiju opened a mouth full of over-long needle like teeth.

"It ignores anything but a hit to the body" Plo said in a wide spectrum transmission.

…

We need to be fast.

They reached into the drift the same way they had for the jump. The world slowed down and went crystal clear. They could see every drop of water, along each of the twenty or more tentacles.

What do you think, straight through?

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 

Stepping forward, they brought down their lightsaber.

Even a Jaeger designed to handle two Jedi couldn't move as fast as they could react. It felt like moving through pudding.

Bring the sword up, block.

No natural defense on this one.

Vibro-blade ready.

Watch our legs.

Two more limbs down.

Wolf, there - an opening?

The air gun?

They thrust their arm out and pipes along the exterior of their armlined up, shooting a burst of pressurized air in a wave of force. The Kaiju rocked back, screeching as it pulled it's limbs in around it.

Wolf leapt forward fang-blades up. Go for the flank.

more of these damn tentacles.

Aarg

oh no you don't

Focus - together - One... Two...

The Kaiju howled as Wolf got in a solid hit. It pulled away from the pain, and there was the opening they'd been looking for.

Their lightsaber cane around and down, blue-white plasma cutting through flesh and bone and burning blue blood to vapor. The torso peeled apart. For a moment every tentacle still attached to the body lashed the water in a violent death spasm, then they went limp.

They slowly let go of the drift settling back into themselves.

fuck that was--

...

...

"Kill confirmed, congratulations Libra. We are sending cleanup teams to your location. You are free to power down."

...

power down?

...

we're okay.

They'd done it.

They still needed to check on the others, and there'd be a mountain of cleanup after this disaster but it was done.

Today, they'd won.  
  
---|---


	11. Chapter 11

 

"I am never drifting with you again," Anakin grumbled. He winced as he peaked out from under the cloth on his eyes, blinking for several moments before setting it aside.

He was propped up in the last bed at the end of the row. It was morning shift now but the ward was being kept dark for the benefit of them and the other pilots. Obi-wan was tucked into the bed next to Anakin. Cody was on his other side, fast asleep. Rex was beyond him, laying back with a pair of headphones in and his eyes closed. Obi-wan couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. Five was next and Echo and on down the line. Some of them had drift-shock. All of them had drift hangovers to one degree or another. They'd all come out alive though, which was what mattered.

Obi-wan and Anakin were actually two of the worst off. He'd known the drift hangover was going to be bad, two Jedi in the Drift and going that deep, but that didn't mean he was enjoying it any more than Anakin was.

"Drink your tea," he directed.  

The only way out was through.

"I hate tea." Anakin scowled down at the mug in his hands. He'd already finished half of it and it wasn't exactly a small cup.

"But I like tea, so it's a good indicator." They'd already gone over all the medical jargon with Kix. He'd been the one to give Anakin the drink. Once Anakin's taste buds started saying the tea tasted terrible again, he'd be ready for the next set of brain scans. Obi-wan had a bag of BBQ flavored chips as his tester. He was slowly savoring them while he could.

Aside from their tastes getting mixed up, they both exhibited all the normal symptoms (sensitivity to light and sound, exhaustion, nausea) as well as some symptoms that were more drift specific. They were having trouble seeing certain colors (blue for Anakin, red for Obi-wan ) and every so often words would come out in other languages. If Anakin reneged and decided to keep drifting with him Obi-wan was going to learn Hindi through osmosis. Obi-wan also had American Pie stuck in his head but he wasn't sure if that was due to Anakin or not.

If he had to guess from his experience with Quinlan way back when, it would take half a day for their brains to fall back into the more familiar patterns. The more often they drifted, - truly drifted, not just meditation - the more the other person's patterns would be ingrained. If old married couples started acting alike, they had nothing on drift partners.

Anakin scowled down at his tea, "Is it always like this?"

"For you, probably. Less so when drifting with a clone then another Jedi, but with your drift score..." He shrugged.

Anakin drank his tea. Obi-wan ate another chip.  It still tasted salty and tangy rather than disgusting.

"Think they'll tell us what's up with Padme any time soon?"

Obi-wan hummed noncommittally. It had been enough of a mess getting everyone back to base. The mangled remains of the Negotiator and Arc-Tera were still getting hauled in. He didn't even want to think about Lumin. Then they'd gotten hustled into medical and Kix had started swearing under his breath. They knew Padme was okay, but apart from the fact that she was in a private meeting with Mace and a few other higher ups no one would confirm anything.

"You'll see her when you see her. Try to rest in the meantime."

Anakin rolled his eyes.

It was another fifteen minutes before Kix wandered over. "Any better?" He asked, looking between them.

Obi-wan shrugged, "I think I've got the language thing sorted, and I'm out of chips."

Anakin held up his empty cup, "If I say it tasted terrible can I leave?"

"Nice try kid, not a chance," Kix said. He took the cup, “I'll get you some more, then we'll see if you're up for visitors."

Anakin perked up at that prospect, but exhaustion had overtaken him by the time Kix came back. Obi-wan let him sleep. They both needed it.

 

Padme was finally escorted in after dinner. By then Obi-wan and Anakin were the last two in the ward. The other pilots had all either been released back to active duty or put on medical leave with orders to check in the next morning.

She wrapped her arms around Anakin's neck, tears threatening in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Hey, I'm fine. I had Obi-wan with me."

They both turned to look at him, and god, they might as well have been shining, their smiles were so bright. Or maybe there was still something wrong with his vision? He blinked a few times looking away. Padme reached out and took his hand. He glanced back up. It wasn't just the parts of Anakin still in his mind that thought she was beautiful. If that had been the case he wouldn't think his Padawan was beautiful as well, or at least not in the same way.

No not his Padawan. By Jedi code anyone who went into combat was a Knight. The higher ups wouldn't like that very much. They had just set a terrible precedent.  

"So, anything interesting happen while we were away?" Anakin asked. The question reminded Obi-wan of the sabotage. They’d agreed not to talk about it in public until they knew more but Obi-wan had to admit he was curious.

Padme smiled, "The former Senator Palpatine has been arrested. He has been charged with attempted murder in the court of the nation of the Free Vod, and with sabotage, false representation and treason in a United Nations military court. He and his staff are being very securely held in the base cells pending trial."

"I didn't realize we had cells," Anakin said sounding rather more excited than Obi-wan would have expected but than...

"Neither did I..."

They settled in and she told them the full story, only stopping when Kix kicked her out for the night.

 

<><><><><>

 

It turned out that arresting Palpatine was one thing, sorting through all the equipment and data on his hidden drives for usable evidence was another.

They had been released the following morning with orders to take it easy and report back if any new symptoms cropped up. After that Anakin pushed his way onto the investigation team by virtue of renouncing his American citizenship in favor of joining the Nation of the Free Vod. Since he wasn't technically employed by the military there was nothing stopping him after that. Especially after Padme gave him her clearance codes.

Obi-wan left him too it, catching up on some paperwork over the course of the morning.

When he didn't see Anakin at lunch old habits took over and Obi-wan went searching for his friend. He found him in one of the garages. It had been cleared out and adapted into a temporary workshop since all the real workshops were once again fully active trying to repair four Jaegers. Anakin was elbow deep in a box of parts and covered in streaks of grease. He had a metal frame curling up around him. It looked strangely familiar but Obi-wan couldn't place from where.

"Anakin when’s the last time you took a break?"

He looked up, "Uhh what time is it?"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes. He really hoped it was just a bad joke. "Yes, yes, now come eat a sandwich before you fall down. You were in medical less than twelve hours ago you may recall."

Anakin found a rag that was mostly clean, wiped off his hands and came to sit on the bench next to Obi-wan. "This is getting to be a habit. Are you still going to bring me sandwiches when we're old and gray?"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes, but couldn't find a retort. He wanted to be able to bring Anakin sandwiches forever, but Anakin had Padme for that kind of thing.

"Obi-wan?" Anakin slowly laced their fingers together giving Obi-wan every chance to pull away. "Is this okay?"

"I-- You and Padme..."

Anakin nodded, "Yeah, me and her, and me and you. And you and her if you want it. I think she does, but I learned she can do her own talking a long time ago."

Obi-wan looked down at their clasped hands. There were so many levels that Anakin could mean: drift partners, friends, romantic partners, sexual partners. Some combination or all of the above. He'd never given that little feeling a name. It hadn't gone away either. His conversation with Padme suddenly took on a new light.

"I... Anakin, that's not how things are done..."

"Screw that." He stood still holding Obi-wan's hand. "Do you know what that is?" He pointed at the box that he'd been working on.

Obi-wan shook his head.

"It's a holographic projector. A working prototype, or it was before I took it apart to see how it works. It can record anything within 50 yards and send a perfect duplicate image through subspace to a duplicate device anywhere in the world as long as it's tuned to the right frequency. Imagine what it would be like having a bunch of these stationed around the rift? Pilots wouldn't have to wait until they saw the enemy to figure out what they could do. We'd be able to see how the Kaiju moved, how they came through the rift in the first place. Not to mention communication between bases, and pilots. Hell if we can make it smaller and find a way to produce them, this could be the next cell phone.

"Remember that talk we had about the rift? This would give us so much more information about it. Palpatine just had it laying around. And that's not all. There's half a dozen other designs that have been proven, that he had hidden away." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Anakin." Obi-wan was stunned.

Apparently his voice was enough to bring Anakin out of his futuristic designs. He squeezed Obi-wan's hand. "Everything's going to change soon. Please, I want you with me when it does."

He could almost see it, that bright future that Anakin was going to build. It really was his choice, to step forward and take what was being offered or...

Obi-wan stood. "Alright." He squeezed Anakin's hand back. "Together."

He smiled bright as the sun, and full of everything that Obi-wan had seen in Anakin from the very start.

They would figure it out. They would change the world. They would reinvent it, changing the laws until they'd built a world as close to perfect as they could make it. Hope and Love.

"Show me this projector then, the world's not going to change itself."

Anakin tugged him forward into a new world.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, done!  
> Wow this story has been wonderful to write. I haven't written so many words in such a short period of time in... years? A long time anyway. I had a lot of fun with the drift scenes and the world building and pretty much everything else. There were points when I flailed over my own writing, that's how much i love this story. :P  
> Once again thank you to Kaixo for jumping in to Beta at the last minute, and I hope you all enjoyed it!


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